Trans Celebrities Who Changed the World: The Complete List (2026)

Some of the most talented, groundbreaking, and culturally significant people in entertainment, sports, and media today are trans celebrities. They have won Grammys, earned Oscar nominations, broken NCAA records, directed blockbuster films, and built audiences of millions. Yet for decades, transgender and nonbinary public figures were either invisible in mainstream media or reduced to stereotypes.

That has changed dramatically. This complete guide covers the most famous transgender celebrities across every industry, from Hollywood and music to sports, fashion, digital media, and beyond, including historic firsts, milestone moments, and the trailblazers who made today’s visibility possible.

A Brief History of Trans Celebrities: From the 1950s to Today

Christine Jorgensen became the first widely known transgender public figure in 1952 after her gender-affirming surgery in Denmark. Her story made international headlines and she became a public speaker and advocate for the rest of her life.

Billy Tipton lived and worked as a jazz musician from the 1930s onward, recognized as a trans man only after his death in 1989. His story reframes how trans people have always existed in public life, even when forced to remain invisible.

Caroline Cossey appeared as a Bond girl in the 1981 film The Spy Who Loved Me before being outed by a UK tabloid without her consent. She later became one of the first trans women to pose for Playboy and fought publicly for trans rights in Europe.

By the early 2010s, trans celebrities were beginning to control their own narratives. Laverne Cox appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine in 2014. Chaz Bono competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2011. Laura Jane Grace came out in Rolling Stone in 2012. The conversation was no longer whispered.

Trans Celebrities in Film and Television

Film and television remain the most visible platforms for transgender representation. The names below have each redefined what is possible on screen.

Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox is one of the most recognized transgender celebrities in the world. Her role as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black made her the first openly trans person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category in 2014, the same year she became the first trans person on the cover of TIME Magazine. Cox has since become an executive producer, prison reform activist, and one of the most prominent voices in trans rights advocacy globally.

MJ Rodriguez

MJ Rodriguez made television history with her portrayal of Blanca Rodriguez in Pose on FX. In 2021 she became the first transgender actress nominated for a lead acting Emmy Award. She also received a Golden Globe nomination in 2022. Her performance in Pose brought the ballroom culture of late 1980s New York to a mainstream global audience.

Karla Sofía Gascón

Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly transgender person nominated for an Academy Award in January 2025 for her lead performance in Emilia Pérez. She had also received a Golden Globe nomination in December 2024. The film earned multiple Oscar nominations including Best Picture and marks a new era for trans stories in prestige cinema.

Elliot Page

Elliot Page came out as a transgender man on December 1, 2020. He continued his role in The Umbrella Academy on Netflix and became the first openly trans man on the cover of TIME Magazine in February 2021. Page previously earned an Academy Award nomination for Juno and remains one of the most recognized trans male celebrities globally.

Hunter Schafer

Hunter Schafer plays Jules in Euphoria on HBO, one of the most talked-about characters in modern prestige television. A model before acting, she has walked for Prada, Miu Miu, and Thierry Mugler. She is also a visual artist and activist who testified before the North Carolina legislature against anti-trans legislation.

Indya Moore

Indya Moore played Angel in Pose and became one of the first openly trans non-binary people to appear on the cover of Elle magazine in 2019. They have modeled for Louis Vuitton and continue to be a vocal advocate for trans people of color and housing justice.

Zión Moreno

Zión Moreno appeared in the Gossip Girl reboot on HBO Max as Luna La, a trans Latinx character played by a trans Latinx actress. She has since modeled internationally and become a rising face in fashion and entertainment.

Dominique Jackson

Dominique Jackson played Elektra in Pose, becoming one of the most recognizable trans women of color on American television. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, she is also a model, author, and activist. Her memoir The Transexual from Tobago details her journey from the Caribbean to New York’s ballroom scene.

Hailie Sahar

Hailie Sahar played Lulu in Pose and was named one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful People in 2020. She is also a singer and activist who has spoken widely about trans women of color in the entertainment industry.

Candis Cayne

Candis Cayne became the first transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character in primetime television with her role in ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money in 2007. She has also appeared in How to Get Away with Murder and The Magicians and is a longtime advocate for trans visibility in Hollywood.

Trace Lysette

Trace Lysette played Shea in Transparent on Amazon and became one of the most visible trans women in streaming television. She later appeared in Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts, one of the most commercially successful films she has been part of.

Alexandra Billings

Alexandra Billings is one of the most experienced trans actresses working in Hollywood, with a career spanning decades in theater, film, and television. She is known for her role in Transparent and her longstanding work in Chicago theater before mainstream recognition arrived.

Jamie Clayton

Jamie Clayton starred as Nomi Marks in Sense8, the Wachowski siblings’ acclaimed Netflix series. She is also known for her modeling career and was one of the first trans women to appear on the cover of Condé Nast Traveler. She recently appeared in The L Word: Generation Q.

Brian Michael Smith

Brian Michael Smith plays Paul Strickland in 9-1-1: Lone Star on Fox, making him the first trans man in a regular role on a broadcast network drama series. He has spoken extensively about the importance of trans male representation on screen, a category that remains significantly underrepresented in Hollywood casting.

Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander appeared in The OA on Netflix and Star Trek: Discovery on Paramount Plus. He is one of the few openly trans male actors with a significant recurring role in major streaming productions and has been vocal about trans youth mental health and visibility.

Josie Totah

Josie Totah came out as transgender in a TIME essay in 2018 and went on to star in the Saved by the Bell reboot on Peacock. She is one of the most prominent Gen Z trans actresses currently working in American television and a vocal advocate for trans youth.

Zackary Drucker

Zackary Drucker is a trans woman, artist, filmmaker, and producer who worked as a producer on Transparent. Her photography and visual art have been exhibited at major institutions including the Whitney Museum. She is also a subject of the HBO documentary series This Is Me.

Jen Richards

Jen Richards is a trans actress, writer, and producer who created Her Story, an acclaimed 2015 web series about trans women that was nominated for an Emmy. She has appeared in Nashville, Mrs. America, and other productions and is a longtime advocate for trans writers and creators in Hollywood.

Angelica Ross

Angelica Ross played Candy in Pose and Nurse Rita in American Horror Story, becoming one of the few trans actresses to have regular roles in two major American television series. She is also the founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, a nonprofit focused on economic empowerment for trans people through technology skills.

Lana and Lily Wachowski

Lana Wachowski and Lily Wachowski, the sibling directors behind The Matrix franchise and Sense8, are among the most powerful trans people in Hollywood history. Lana came out in 2012 and Lily in 2016. Their combined filmography has generated billions of dollars in revenue and shaped global pop culture for three decades.

Trans Celebrities in Music

Trans celebrities in music are shaping the industry with powerful voices and unique artistic styles. From pop stars to independent artists, they bring fresh perspectives and influence global trends. Their work not only entertains but also increases visibility and representation in the music world.

Kim Petras

Kim Petras became the first openly transgender artist to win a Grammy Award, taking home Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in 2023 for Unholy with Sam Smith. German-born and publicly out as trans since age 16, she is one of the most commercially successful transgender musicians in history.

Laura Jane Grace

Laura Jane Grace, lead singer of Against Me!, came out in Rolling Stone in May 2012. The band’s 2014 album Transgender Dysphoria Blues is widely considered one of the most important records in trans cultural history, bringing gender dysphoria into rock music’s mainstream conversation for the first time.

Peppermint

Peppermint was the runner-up on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 and became the first transgender woman to originate a principal role on Broadway with Head Over Heels in 2018. She is also a recording artist and one of the most active trans advocates in American entertainment.

SOPHIE

SOPHIE (Sophie Xeon) was a Scottish-born producer and recording artist whose influence on electronic music and pop production was transformative before her death in January 2021. Artists including Charli XCX, Madonna, and Lady Gaga have cited her production work as influential. Her 2018 album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides received a Grammy nomination.

Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Beverly Glenn-Copeland is a Canadian musician who came out as a transgender man in his 70s, after a cult following had formed around his ambient folk recordings from the 1970s and 1980s. His 2021 album Transmissions brought him global recognition and he is now considered one of the most unique figures in trans celebrity history.

Namoli Brennet

Namoli Brennet is a folk and indie singer-songwriter who has been openly trans since the early 2000s and is one of the longest-standing trans voices in independent music. She has released over a dozen albums and toured extensively, building a dedicated following within both LGBTQ+ and folk music communities.

G Flip

G Flip is an Australian musician and drummer who came out as nonbinary in 2021. Known for their relationship with Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause, G Flip gained significant mainstream attention and has spoken about nonbinary identity and trans experience in multiple major interviews.

Trans Celebrities in Modeling and Fashion

The fashion industry has embraced many trans celebrities who are redefining beauty standards. From runway shows to major brand campaigns, trans models are gaining recognition worldwide. Their presence highlights diversity and promotes inclusivity across the fashion landscape.

Andreja Pejic

Andreja Pejic became the first openly transgender model profiled in Vogue in May 2015. Before her transition she modeled both menswear and womenswear, challenging the fashion industry’s gender categories. She is Bosnian-Australian and has worked with major global fashion houses including Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs.

Valentina Sampaio

Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio became the first openly trans model hired by Victoria’s Secret in 2019 and appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2020. She has modeled internationally for L’Oréal Paris and is one of the most globally recognized trans women in fashion.

Leyna Bloom

Leyna Bloom is a Filipino-Black transgender model and actress who became the first transgender woman of color on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in July 2021. She also appeared at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for Port Authority and is a prominent advocate for trans women of color in fashion.

Laith Ashley

Laith Ashley was among the first openly trans male models signed to a major modeling agency. He has appeared in campaigns for Barneys New York and Diesel and was featured in Pose as a recurring character. His work has helped open the door for trans male representation in an industry that has been far slower to embrace trans men than trans women.

Alex Consani

Alex Consani appeared in the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and is one of the youngest trans models to do so at a major publication. She was signed to a major modeling agency in her teens and has rapidly become one of the most recognizable young trans women in the fashion industry.

Carmen Carrera

Carmen Carrera is a Puerto Rican-American trans model and actress who appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 3 and subsequently came out as a trans woman. She has modeled for international campaigns and appeared in multiple television dramas, advocating for trans Latina representation throughout her career.

Teddy Quinlivan

Teddy Quinlivan is an American trans model who came out publicly in 2017, becoming one of the few openly trans women working at the top level of high fashion. She has walked for Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Christian Dior and has spoken publicly about the barriers trans models face in the luxury fashion industry.

Geena Rocero

Geena Rocero is a Filipino-American trans model, filmmaker, and activist who came out publicly in a 2014 TED Talk that has been viewed millions of times. She is the founder of Gender Proud, a media company that produces stories about trans people globally, and has worked to bring international attention to trans issues beyond Western media.

Trans Celebrities in Sports

Trans celebrities in sports are making their mark in various athletic fields. Their participation has opened important conversations about inclusion, fairness, and representation. As visibility grows, they continue to inspire others and challenge traditional norms in sports.

Renée Richards

Renée Richards won a landmark 1977 New York Supreme Court ruling allowing her to compete in the US Open as a woman, setting legal precedent for trans athletes in professional sports for decades. She later coached Martina Navratilova and wrote two memoirs about her life.

Chris Mosier

Chris Mosier became the first transgender man to compete with a men’s team at the Olympic trials, competing as a duathlete. His advocacy directly challenged the IOC’s policy on transgender athletes. He also appeared in ESPN’s Body Issue and was the first trans man to do so.

Schuyler Bailar

Schuyler Bailar became the first openly transgender athlete to compete on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team, swimming for Harvard University. He is now one of the most prominent trans athletic advocates and public speakers in the United States, focusing especially on trans youth in sport.

Fallon Fox

Fallon Fox was the first openly transgender fighter in MMA, competing in women’s divisions. Her career sparked global debate about trans athletes in combat sports and she became one of the most visible trans women in professional athletics during the 2010s.

Kye Allums

Kye Allums became the first openly trans athlete competing in NCAA Division 1 in 2010, playing basketball for George Washington University. He came out mid-season and continued to compete, becoming a public figure for trans athletes navigating institutional sport.

Balian Buschbaum

Balian Buschbaum was a German pole vaulter who competed at the highest levels of international athletics before retiring to transition. He is one of the few elite-level trans male athletes whose story spans both pre-transition athletic achievement and post-transition public advocacy.

Patricio Manuel

Patricio Manuel became the first openly transgender boxer to compete professionally in the United States in 2018, winning his pro debut. A former US national amateur boxing champion as a woman before his transition, his story sits at a unique intersection of trans male visibility and combat sports.

Trans Celebrities in Activism

Many trans celebrities use their platform to advocate for equality and awareness. Through public speaking, campaigns, and media appearances, they raise important issues related to gender identity and human rights. Their work plays a key role in driving social change and acceptance.

Janet Mock

Janet Mock is a New York Times bestselling author, director, and one of the most influential trans rights advocates working today. Her 2014 memoir Redefining Realness is essential reading on trans experience. She became the first trans woman of color to write and direct an episode of a major scripted television series with Pose.

Jazz Jennings

Jazz Jennings first appeared on 20/20 with Barbara Walters at age seven in 2007. Her TLC series I Am Jazz ran for multiple seasons and she co-authored a children’s book on gender identity. She is a GLAAD Spirit Day ambassador and has spoken extensively about trans youth mental health and the pressures of growing up publicly trans.

Caitlyn Jenner

Caitlyn Jenner won the Olympic gold medal in the decathlon in 1976. Her April 2015 coming out interview with Diane Sawyer drew 17 million viewers. Her Vanity Fair cover and subsequent E! series I Am Cait brought trans visibility to audiences with limited prior exposure to transgender experience.

Cecilia Chung

Cecilia Chung is a Chinese-American trans activist and public health advocate who has served on multiple city and federal advisory committees on HIV/AIDS policy and LGBTQ+ rights. She is a long-standing board member of the Transgender Law Center and one of the most influential trans policy advocates in the United States.

Bamby Salcedo

Bamby Salcedo is a Latinx trans activist and founder of the TransLatin@ Coalition, which advocates for trans Latina immigrants in the United States. She is a prominent public speaker and one of the most visible trans Latina advocates in American political discourse.

Trans Celebrities on Social Media and Digital Platforms

Social media has given trans celebrities a powerful space to share their stories and connect with audiences. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube allow them to build communities and influence global conversations. Their content often combines personal experiences, education, and entertainment.

Dylan Mulvaney

Dylan Mulvaney built a massive TikTok following through her Days of Girlhood series, documenting her transition in real time. She became the center of a national cultural conversation in 2023 following a Bud Light partnership. She has since appeared on Broadway and continues to be one of the most recognized trans digital creators globally.

Gigi Gorgeous

Gigi Gorgeous began her YouTube channel in 2008 as a teenager in Toronto and came out as transgender in 2013. At her peak she had nearly 8 million followers across platforms and approximately 500 million YouTube views. Her 2017 documentary This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous was distributed by YouTube Originals.

NikkieTutorials

Dutch beauty creator Nikkie de Jager came out as a transgender woman in a YouTube video in January 2020 after being blackmailed. Her coming out video was viewed over 30 million times within days and transformed the conversation around trans identity in the beauty industry globally.

Jamie Raines

Jamie Raines is a British transgender man who documented his transition on YouTube from the age of 17, building one of the most-followed trans male channels on the platform. His content has reached millions and he authored the book Transmasculine, one of the first mainstream books focused specifically on trans male experience.

AJ Clementine

AJ Clementine is an Australian-Indonesian trans model and digital creator who has built a significant following across Instagram and YouTube. She is one of the most prominent trans women of color in Australian media and has spoken about the intersection of trans identity and cultural background in Southeast Asian communities.

Scott Turner Schofield

Scott Turner Schofield is a trans male actor and performance artist who was the first openly transgender actor to appear on a daytime soap opera in the United States, with a recurring role on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2015. He is also a noted playwright and public speaker.

Trans Men Celebrities Deserve Equal Visibility

Trans male celebrities receive a fraction of the media coverage that trans women do, despite making up a significant portion of the transgender community.

Chaz Bono, son of Sonny and Cher, came out publicly in 2008 and became one of the most recognized trans men in American public life after his appearance on Dancing with the Stars in 2011. His documentary Becoming Chaz won the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Thomas Beatie became internationally known as “the pregnant man” in 2008 when he became the first publicly known trans man to carry a pregnancy, covered by Oprah Winfrey’s show and making international headlines. His story shifted global understanding of trans male bodies and reproductive possibility.

Buck Angel is a trans male adult film performer turned trans rights advocate who has spoken extensively about trans male sexuality, body image, and the need for trans male representation in discussions about gender identity. He is one of the earliest and most outspoken trans male public figures.

Rain Dove identifies as gender nonconforming and has modeled both menswear and womenswear for major fashion brands, using their platform to challenge binary assumptions about bodies and gender in the fashion industry.

Nonbinary Celebrities and Gender-Nonconforming Public Figures

Sam Smith came out as nonbinary in 2019 and uses they/them pronouns. As a Grammy-winning artist their coming out brought nonbinary identity into conversations that had previously centered only on binary trans experiences.

Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye came out as nonbinary and also disclosed being HIV-positive, combining two conversations often kept separate in public discourse. Their openness has significantly expanded mainstream understanding of both nonbinary identity and HIV in the modern era.

Alok Vaid-Menon is a poet, author, and global activist for dismantling the gender binary. Their writing and speaking have reached millions and they are considered one of the most articulate and prominent nonbinary public intellectuals working today.

Jacob Tobia is a nonbinary author and television producer who wrote the memoir Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story and has produced content for major streaming platforms. They are one of the few openly nonbinary people working behind the camera in Hollywood.

Jeffrey Marsh is a nonbinary social media advocate and author with millions of followers across platforms. Their content focuses on self-love, gender identity, and resilience and has become a significant source of support for questioning and trans youth online.

Trans Celebrities of Color

Trans women of color face the highest rates of violence within the transgender community and have historically faced the greatest barriers to visibility in mainstream media.

Dominique Jackson, born in Trinidad and Tobago, played Elektra in Pose and is also a model, author, and activist whose memoir documents her journey from the Caribbean to New York’s ballroom scene.

Hailie Sahar played Lulu in Pose and was named one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful People in 2020. She is also a singer and a consistent advocate for trans women of color in the entertainment industry.

Carmen Carrera is a Puerto Rican-American trans model and actress who is one of the most prominent Latinx trans women in American media. Leyna Bloom, Filipino-Black, became the first trans woman of color on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover in 2021.

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy is a Black transgender activist and elder who was present at the Stonewall riots in 1969 and has spent over five decades advocating for trans women of color and incarcerated trans people. She is the former executive director of the Transgender Gender-Variant and Intersex Justice Project.

Global Trans Celebrities Beyond the United States

Trans celebrity is a global phenomenon that American-centered lists consistently underrepresent.

Nisha Ayub is a Malaysian trans woman and activist who was detained under Islamic religious law and became one of Southeast Asia’s most prominent trans rights advocates after her release. She received the United States International Women of Courage Award in 2016.

Viviane Morales is a prominent Brazilian trans actress and activist. Indianara Siqueira is a Brazilian trans politician who has run for public office and is one of the most vocal trans political voices in Latin America.

Paris Lees is a British journalist, broadcaster, and author who was the first openly trans person to present on mainstream British television channels including Channel 4 and Vice. Her 2021 memoir What It Feels Like for a Girl became a bestseller in the UK.

Lavinia Woodward is a British trans woman who gained international media attention in 2017 in a legal case involving her medical aspirations. Her case sparked wide discussion about trans women and institutional systems in the UK.

Gisberta Salce Junior was a Brazilian trans woman whose 2006 murder became a landmark moment in Brazilian trans rights history, leading to increased legal protections for trans people in the country.

Trans Celebrities Who Passed Away

Alexis Arquette (1969 to 2016) was an actress, musician, and activist known for roles in The Wedding Singer and Bride of Chucky. She was a vocal advocate for trans rights and HIV awareness throughout her career.

SOPHIE (1986 to 2021) was a groundbreaking producer and artist whose work with Charli XCX, Madonna, and others reshaped pop music. Her 2018 album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides received a Grammy nomination and remains one of the most celebrated trans artistic statements in modern music.

Candy Darling (1944 to 1974) was an Andy Warhol muse and one of the earliest trans women to appear in American film, appearing in Warhol productions and becoming an icon of New York’s underground art scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Holly Woodlawn (1946 to 2015) was a Puerto Rican-American trans actress and Warhol superstar, immortalized in Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side. She appeared in Trash and Women in Revolt and remained a beloved figure in trans cultural history.

Marsha P. Johnson (1945 to 1992) was a Black trans woman and activist who was a central figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. She co-founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with Sylvia Rivera and is widely considered one of the most important figures in LGBTQ+ rights history.

Sylvia Rivera (1951 to 2002) was a Latinx trans activist who fought alongside Marsha P. Johnson at Stonewall. She spent decades advocating for homeless trans youth and trans people of color and her legacy is foundational to modern trans rights movements globally.

Trans Celebrities in Science and Technology

Lynn Conway was an IBM computer scientist who invented generalized dynamic instruction handling, a foundational concept in modern processor design. She was fired by IBM when she transitioned in 1968. She was later reinstated and celebrated with honorary degrees and the IEEE Milestone Award. She died in June 2024 and is considered one of the most important trans figures in science and technology history.

Historic Firsts: Trans Celebrity Milestones at a Glance

Conclusion

The story of trans celebrities is one of the most significant cultural narratives of the last 70 years. From Christine Jorgensen making global headlines in 1952 to Karla Sofía Gascón’s Oscar nomination in 2025, transgender and nonbinary public figures have moved from forced silence and tabloid exposure to historic firsts at the highest levels of every creative and athletic industry on earth.

What has changed most is not just who is visible but who controls the story. Trans celebrities today announce their own identities, produce their own content, direct their own films, and speak directly to millions of followers without requiring a tabloid or broadcast network’s permission. That shift in narrative power is itself one of the most important developments in modern media history.

The trans celebrities on this list are not famous despite being trans. Many are famous in part because of the courage, clarity, and creativity with which they have lived publicly and authentically. Their visibility changes real lives, particularly for the estimated 1 in 30 U.S. teenagers who identify as transgender and who deserve to see themselves reflected in the culture around them.