25 transgender celebrities who broke barriers

Published 2:00 pm Tuesday, June 14, 2022

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25 transgender celebrities who broke barriers

At the forefront of the movement for gay rights are transgender people, serving as the most fervent activists for the rights of queer people around the world. For the past few decades, transgender people have demonstrated their skills and passions in various fields and industries. By excelling at what they do, they have broken barriers, helping to progress social norms and attitudes toward queerness. And by using their profile and social status, these trans celebrities have acted as guiding lights to young queer people all over the world.

To that end, Stacker compiled a list of 25 prolific transgender celebrities, covering not only their individual backgrounds and bodies of work but also detailing any famous firsts they accomplished through their work and activism, if applicable. There are no politicians on this list.

These figures are actors, musicians, models, athletes, artists, and influencers. They are prominent not only for being transgender individuals in their fields but for also contributing to and advancing their fields overall. Whether they have been out their entire life or only came out in the middle of their career, they have served as inspirations to many.

Through the hardships and obstacles they faced from their peers and society, these figures have emerged in the mainstream, paving the way for more queer and trans people to follow. Read on to see which of these celebrities you recognize and whose work you have followed.

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Andreja Pejić

Hailing from present-day Bosnia-Herzegovina, Andreja Pejić has modeled for both women’s and men’s clothing. Pejić has been featured on the covers of Elle, Marie Claire, and GQ, and became the first transgender model profiled by Vogue in 2015. In addition to becoming one of the most prolific transgender models in the world, Pejić has appeared as a guest judge on “Britain’s Next Top Model” and acted in 2018’s “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.”

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Asia Kate Dillon

Actor Asia Kate Dillon is the first nonbinary performer to portray a major role in an American television show, playing the character of Taylor Mason in “Billions.” They have been nominated for several Critics’ Choice Television Awards and co-starred in “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.” Their presence in film and television has helped observers learn about the nonbinary experience and the use of singular they/them pronouns, resulting in such awards ceremonies as the MTV Awards making some of their categories gender-neutral and inclusive.

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Billy Tipton

For several decades in the 20th century, Billy Tipton was one of the most accomplished jazz musicians of his time. As a bandleader and a pianist, Tipton toured the country and released several successful albums. Tipton, assigned female at birth, changed his gender presentation in the early 1930s to fit the “jazz band image” at the time; his status as a trans man was unknown until after his death and was a surprise to even his closest friends and family.

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Caitlyn Jenner

One of the most prolific coming-out moments from a celebrity in the modern era was that of Caitlyn Jenner, who is a long-retired gold medalist decathlete. Jenner’s transition sparked publicity and wide discussions about the transgender experience, and she would win accolades such as the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards for sharing that of her own.

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Candis Cayne

Before her successful acting career, Candis Cayne performed as a drag queen in the early 1990s. She then began to appear in film and television, including some projects by RuPaul. By 2007, Cayne had a spot on the television show “Dirty Sexy Money,” becoming the first transgender actress to portray a recurring role as a transgender character on prime time television.

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Caroline Cossey

After the release of the 1981 James Bond film “For Your Eyes Only,” in which model Caroline Cossey appeared as an extra, British tabloids outed Cossey as a transgender woman. While the incident severely upset her, Cossey continued her modeling career and fought for trans rights in the U.K., with her efforts reaching all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.

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Chaz Bono

As the child of Sonny Bono and Cher, Chaz Bono has received media attention since early in life. Before his transition, tabloids outed him as a lesbian, and his transition to a male began in earnest during the late 2000s. Chaz has since been a prominent LGBTQ+ activist and advocate. He proceeded to share his story in a 2011 documentary film and later competed on “Dancing with the Stars,” both of which helped to spur conversation about transgender people.

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Chris Mosier

Transgender athletes have always faced difficult battles within their fields due to the gender-separated nature of many events, but triathlete Chris Mosier has instigated change in sports. Through Mosier’s challenging the International Olympic Committee policy, he was able to participate in the Duathlon Age Group World Championship Race and many events afterward. Mosier was the first transgender man to compete in Olympic trials with other men, and he was the first transgender athlete to participate in the “Body Issue” of ESPN Magazine.