13 icons of TV and film that prove trans people have always been here
Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility (YouTube/Coronation Street | Getty Images)
Today (31 March) is International Transgender Day of Visibility. The day of celebration serves to bring awareness to our trans siblings and their achievements.
First being held in 2009, founded by trans activist Rachel Crandall Crocker, the special day is now celebrated around the world.
READ MORE: 11 times trans and non-binary people made history and did truly incredible things
It’s needed now more than ever, after countless attacks on trans people’s rights, like bathroom bans in the UK and US, as well as limitations to healthcare.
But the fact is, trans people have always been here. Here, we celebrate just some of the many trans screen icons that prove just that.
Nadia Almada
Nadia Almada, born in Portugal, is best known for winning Big Brother UK in 2004. While she did not share that she was trans with her co-stars, the public knew.
She was a hit with viewers, being crowned the winner after getting 74% of the public vote. Nadia became the first trans contestant to win the show.
A brief showbiz career followed, including the release of her iconic single “A Little Bit of Action”, which peaked at No27 in the UK Singles Charts. Nadia also had a cameo on Hollyoaks, and appeared on many others shows, including The Weakest Link, 8 out of 10 Cats and Come Dine with Me.
Hayley Cropper
While not a real person, Coronation Street character Hayley Cropper is one of the most notable representations of a trans woman on British television.
Played by cis actress Julie Hesmondhalgh between 1998 and 2014, Hayley was the first trans character in a British soap.
During her time in Weatherfield, Hayley had a romantic relationship with Roy Cropper (David Nielsen). However they could not legally get married as Hayley was considered “male” because of laws at the time. Instead, they had a blessing ceremony.
After the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which made it possible for trans folk to change their birth certificates and get married, the couple made things official.
Sadly, Hayley died by assisted suicide after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2014.
Dana International
Dana International, real name Sharon Cohen, is an Israeli pop star, best known for winning the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest.
The singer knew she was female from a young age, came out as trans at 13, and had dreams of being a pop star. Her mother worked to pay for music lessons, despite the family being poor.
After her historic Eurovision win in 1998, she returned to the contest when Tel Aviv hosted in 2019 as an interval performer.
She has released 12 albums during her career and 18 singles, including a special version of her Eurovision winning song Diva in 2019.
Caroline Cossey
Caroline Cossey, also known as Tula, appeared in the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. The now defunct tabloid News of the World later outed her as trans.
The Norfolk-born model went on to become the first trans woman to pose for Playboy magazine in 1991.
After a previous marriage which was annulled due to laws at the time, Cossey married Canadian engineer David Finch.
Ella Morgan
Ella Morgan made history as the first ever trans participant on Married at First Sight UK in 2023.
While her relationships from the show didn’t last, she later appeared on Celebs Go Dating and entered a relationship with Alex James Ali. Sadly, they split after filming ended.
Since, Ella has worked as a presenter for London Pride and introduced Girls Aloud at Brighton Pride in 2024.
She is also a vocal advocate for trans rights, regularly sharing her fight with her Instagram followers.
Elliot Page
Canadian actor Elliot Page had a successful career before coming out as a trans man in December 2020.
His decision to come out publicly was prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-trans commentary in politics and the media.
Page, who has appeared in titles such as Juno, X-Men: The Last Stand and The Umbrella Academy was supported by countless celebrities after his coming out.
Netflix, home of The Umbrella Academy, said at the time: “So proud of our superhero! We love you Elliot!”
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox shot to stardom as Sophia Burset in Netflix series Orange is the New Black. The actress became the first trans person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for the role. She was also the first trans person to be nominated for an Emmy since 1990, when composer Angela Morley got a nod.
Since, her career has flourished, becoming the first transgender person to play a trans series regular on CBS series Doubt in 2017.
Her memoir, Transcendent, is due for release in June this year.
Miriam Rivera
Miriam Rivera was a model and television star, best known for appearing on Sky1 series There’s Something About Miriam in 2004.
The show followed a group of six men trying to impress Rivera through various challenges, while also going on dates with her. She revealed after the winner was revealed that she was transgender.
The language used on the show, looking back, was incredibly problematic. It’s believed that Miriam’s coming out was scripted, as she said: “I am not a woman. I was born as a man.”
The contestants subsequently launched a lawsuit to stop the show airing, alleging sexual assault, defamation, breach of contract and personal injury in the form of psychological and emotional damage.
An undisclosed settlement was reached, and the show eventually aired.
Though it did not go down well with viewers, with many viewers saying it reinforced negative stereotypes about the real, lived experience of trans women.
The series was the subject of a three-part Channel 4 documentary, Miriam: Death of a Reality Star, in 2022. Rivera died in 2019 of suspected suicide, though her husband Daniel Cuervo believed it was murder after receiving a death threat from an unnamed individual.
Luke Anderson
Luke Anderson became the first trans man to win Big Brother UK in 2012. He received 35.27 per cent of the final vote to win.
He opened up about his transition while in the house. “I wanted to throw it out there, this is probably stupid, but I feel like you should know… I was born female,” he said.
His co-stars were supportive and he welcomed questions, adding: “I will not be offended.” He explained that he came out as trans when he was 28, just a few years before he went on the reality show.
After the show, unlike Nadia Almada, Luke returned to his regular life.
Laith Ashley
Model, actor and activist Laith Ashley first rose to prominence on modelling reality show Strut in 2016. The show followed a group of transgender models, also featuring America’s Next Top Model icon Isis King.
Ashley realised he was trans at 19 and he came out in 2013.
Since, he has modelled for the likes of British GQ, Vogue France and Elle UK among others. He also became the first trans man to feature in a Diesel fashion campaign.
Ashley would also become the first trans member of RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s Pit Crew in 2018.
Not stopping there, he appeared as the love interest in Taylor Swift’s 2023 music video for “Lavender Haze”.
Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer is known to millions around the world as Jules from Euphoria.
But she first rose to prominence after joining a lawsuit against North Carolina’s Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act in 2016. It stopped trans people from using public bathrooms which matched their gender identity.
Her activism saw her land on Teen Vogue’s “21 Under 21” list in 2017.
After working as a fashion model for huge brands like Dior and Marc Jacobs, Schafer moved into acting, being cast as trans student Jules Vaughn in HBO series Euphoria. The series returns for its third season later this year.
Aside from Euphoria, Schafer played Tigris Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and is set to appear in the upcoming movie Mother Mary.
Candis Cayne
Candis Cayne started as a drag performer in New York City in the 1990s, before coming out as trans in 1996.
She went on to gain attention for role in the television series Dirty Sexy Money, becoming the first trans actress to play a recurring transgender character on primetime TV. More recently, she played the Fairy Queen in The Magicians.
While she has shown her support for a number of LGBTQ+ organisations, she told The Advocate in 2009: “I’m not trying to be a spokeswoman for the transgender community; I just want to be looked at as a living, breathing, happy human being.”
Isis King
Isis King became the first out trans woman to compete on America’s Next Top Model in 2008.
Her modelling career started years before her stint on television, though her time on ANTM made her one of the most recognisable trans faces at the time. She was eliminated fifth overall, but returned in 2011 for the first all stars edition, on which she was eliminated third.
King’s career showed no signs of slowing down though, with appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful, Shameless, and as a main cast member of modelling reality show Strut.
More recently she had a main role on With Love between 2012 and 2023.
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