Indya Moore Makes History Again

You've seen them as part of the history making cast of the FX show Pose, and now 24 year old Indya  Moore is making history again as the first out trans person to grace an ELLE magazine cover.

Moore is not only Black Trans Excellence personified,  Moore also uses they them pronouns. 

Despite a challenging childhood and early adulthood, ,it seems that life has now moved into an amazing sweet spot for Moore.   Opportunities are opening up for them as Pose kicks off its second season on June 11.  Moore now  has a major fashion magazine cover to their credit, and made history in the process.

And yes, Moore wants to remind you peeps that they are unapologetically Black, and you need to acknowledge them and the Black trans community.

Sometimes I feel like i have to remind people that I'm black and that makes me feel less black, But yeah! I'm black and I'm trans and I'm here and I think it's important our community acknowledges black trans people because we are murdered countlessly in our own communities. 

I'm not only looking forward to meeting her one day, I'm looking forward to seeing how their character Angel continues to evolve on the show

The ELLE magazine featuring Moore is scheduled to hit your fave newsstands on May 24

National Geographic 'Gender Revolution' Cover Wins ASME Reader's Choice Award

Some good news to report for transkind.

Since 2006, the American Society of Magazine Editors holds an annual Best Cover contest to determine the best magazine covers of the previous year.

The Cover of the Year was the New Yorker magazine's 'Blowhard' cover, depicting a Trump-like figure powering a sailboat by blowing into a Klansman's hood.
The New Yorker had an exceptionally good year, placing four covers in the contest's Top 10.
The 12th annual ASME Best Cover contest was contested in ten categories, and in this year's edition of it 128 magazines took part, submitting 261 covers for the ten contested categories.  Online voting via Facebook started on January 2 and lasted four weeks as more than 100 editors, art directors and photo directors judged the contest.
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In the Best News and Politics cover category the January 2017 National Geographic cover for the 'Gender Revolution' issue featuring our trans kid Avery as the cover girl won the category.

But unfortunately the Nat Geo cover was edged out for the People's Choice Award for cover of the year, losing out to the Entertainment Weekly 'Let's Hear It For The Red White And Ru (yuck)  cover.

Congrats to Avery and National Geographic for the win in its category.

Laverne's Historic Cosmo Cover

Just in time for Black History Month, Laverne Cox continues to blaze trails and make me and other Black trans peeps proud of her.

Her latest history making endeavor is to become the first out trans woman of any ethnic background to be featured as a cover girl for Cosmopolitan magazine. 

Cosmo South Africa decided to focus their February issues on the TBLGIQ+ community and love, and tapped Laverne to be on the cover of it.

In her letter to the magazine, she also continued to speak about trans women  dating and finding love.

'Trans women need to be loved out in the open and in the light,' she said.    I agree with her.  I also believe that if their wasn't a stigma toward dating trans women and the people who love us could do spenly, it would go a long way toward cutting our murder rates and the domestic partner violence we see.

But that's another post.

This one is all about celebrating Laverne's historic Cosmo cover achievement.   

Hope she also gets some solo covers on ESSENCE (she's done two group covers) and EBONY magazines this year as well

Valentina Sampaio Is Vogue Paris' First Ever Trans Cover Girl

'But only when a transgender person poses on the front cover of a fashion magazine and it is no longer necessary to write an editorial on the subject will we know that the battle is won.-Emmanuelle Alt, French Vogue editor

The French edition of Vogue magazine was founded in 1920, and despite the long list of stunning French trans women like Coccinelle, Marie-Pier Ysser, Marie-Pierre 'Bambi' Pruvot and most recently model Ines-Loan Rau, I was surprised to discover that Vogue Paris has never had a trans woman on the cover of their magazine until now.

The trans woman who has made that breakthrough fashion and French magazine history is Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio.  She recently graced the cover of Elle Brazil, and has starred in an ad campaign for L'oreal Paris.

"This month we are proud to celebrate transgender beauty and how models like Valentina Sampaio, who is posing for her first ever Vogue cover, are changing the face of fashion and deconstructing prejudice."said Vogue Paris on their Instagram account and pic of the historic cover.

The 21 year old Sampaio is also set to rip the runway for Saint Laurent soon, and will be on the March cover of Vogue Paris that hits newsstands on February 23.  It is the first time ever that a trans feminine woman has graced the cover of any French magazine.

The translated French title from the cover reads:  Transgender beauty; How they're shaking up the world.

We most certainly are.  It's also just another day and another historic accomplishment checked off the list for my sisters here in the US and around the world who are part of the long stylish line of trans models.
Vogue Paris editor Emmanuelle Alt said,"Valentina is on the cover of Vogue this month, not just for her looks or her sparkling personality, but because despite herself she embodies an age-old arduous struggle to be recognised and not to be perceived as something Other.”

Alt also said in her editorial that, “Trans people, the ultimate symbol of a rejection of conformity, are icons that Vogue supports and chooses to celebrate."

We transwomen around the world deeply appreciate you Vogue Paris for doing so.

But Alt also recognized that we have a long way to go to get to the point that seeing a trans feminine person on the cover of a fashion magazine becomes a mundane event.

I'm looking forward to speed up the day that we don't even have to find it necessary to say or argue the point that trans is beautiful, and trans women in all shapes, sizes and skin tones are beautiful in many ways.

I'm hoping that day comes along with all my sisters, and I'm here to witness it. 

Valentina Sampaio Appears On Cover Of Brazilian ELLE

While we were embroiled in the final stages of our contentious presidential election, there was a little trans history being made in Brazil from the modeling world.

19 year old model Valentina Sampaio became only the second trans person ever since Lea T did so in 2011 to grace the cover of ELLE Brazil.

That ELLE Brazil cover featuring Sampaio was released in November 2016.

There was also a L'Oreal commercial that ran during International Women's Day of Valentina getting made up to take her new Brazilian ID photo.

 

She's just the newest member of the long stylish line of trans models that goes back to the 1960's that gets more beautiful , groundbreaking and expansive very day..

Hello Caitlyn!

The Jenner Vanity Fair July cover and photo shoot will be in the issue hitting newsstands on June 6,  and like the Diane Sawyer interview, it's generating media coverage and generating conversation inside and out side the trans community.

And we have finally learned Jenner's femme name.   I presume we'll find out later how Jenner came to choose that name, but interestingly enough she didn't spell it with a 'K'.  

No matter what your opinion is on how this Caitlyn Jenner femme rollout has transpired, the bottom line is that it is generating a much needed discussion on trans issues across the media, and especially in Trans World.  

I believe that any positive discussion that happens about trans people in the USA and educates the moveable middle is good for the entire trans community. 

Caitlyn will also be getting the ESPY's Arthur Ashe Courage Award that has been given to the late Stuart Scott and Robin Roberts just to name two recipients of it.

Personally I think Fallon Fox should have gotten that award, but nevertheless that's another Jenner accomplishment that should be celebrated and cheered by our community. 

The attention Caitlyn is getting also gives the rest of us in Trans World an opening with our local media outlets to spring off of that attention and shape a trans discussion that touches upon the issues that we deem important in our local communities..

Yes, there will be some haters and jealous folks in our trans ranks upset because they aren't getting that kind of media attention that rates a photo shoot by Annie Leibovitz.  

Some of transkind will be pissed because they don't have access to the finances, surgeons, laser epilation and trans specific medical care that is going to speedily upgrade Caitlyn's body from one of a former Olympic champion to the babe that has been inside her for 65 years and is now being introduced to her family and the world.

Hell, I'm envious of that at times even with cis women with hourglass shapes, but unfortunately, that's life.   Sometimes we get DNA blessings that others don't.   There will be women cis and trans who are smarter, prettier and sexier.   Hormones can also be  much more generous to some trans women than others.  Some have the finances to get the trans specific procedures they need when they want them while others will have to wait decades or never be able to get them.. 

All I or any trans woman can do is work with the hand that we're dealt and evolve to become the best women we can be.

But instead of hating, let's celebrate the fact a trans woman made the cover of Vanity Fair.   Let's celebrate the fact we have a positive discussion happening about trans issues right now that will potentially speed up the timetable for trans human rights achievement.    Let's celebrate the fact this may be another huge step toward the attainment of our ultimate goal of acceptance of trans people's humanity in all facets of our society.

And let's celebrate the fact that Caitlyn is finally coming out of a cocoon she's been in for 65 years and is coming out to the world as her true self.

Laverne's On The Cover Of ESSENCE

To understand the significance of this ESSENCE magazine cover, I have to take you back to the late 80's

Tracy Africa Norman was in the process of shooting her sixth ESSENCE magazine cover for an upcoming Christmas issue.  At the time Tracy worked for the third largest modeling agency in New York, and she was a hot model with major contracts like Avon, Ultra Sheen and Clairol.

But Tracy was also an undisclosed transwoman, and her cover was about to be blown to ESSENCE editor-in-chief Susan L. Taylor by a shady individual from Tracy's old neighborhood who recognized her.

Tracy was outed, and the sixth cover shoot abruptly ended along with much of Tracy's US modeling career.  

So you can imagine my surprise when knowing this history, I saw this ESSENCE cover of Laverne with Alfre Woodard, Nicole Bahari and Dinai Gurira.   I'll have to admit I did shed a tear or two when I saw the cover because I thought about what happened to Tracy and just how far the African-American transfeminine ranks have come since then.  

But congratulations Laverne.   Looking forward to the day that ESSENCE gives a trans woman a solo cover be it you, Ines Rau or some other trans woman or trans model. 

Looks like that day may be coming sooner than I thought it would.  

POTUS Is TIME Magazine's Person Of The Year

And yep, he earned it. 

Since 1927, TIME magazine has chosen the person who for better or worse, has made an overpowering impact on the nation and the world for the year.

Runner up for the internationally renowned honor was Pakistani teen blogger Malala Yousafzai.   She lives in the Taliban infested Swat region of the country and is an advocate of girls attending school.   The ideas that this 15 year old girl voiced on a blog so threatened 'the menz' in the Taliban they tried to kill her.  

She's recovering from her wounds in a British hospital and sentiment is building around the world for her to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.  

The POTUS had the bigger impact on the year news wise.  In addition to winning reeelection in a blowout and becoming the first Democratic president since FDR to win in consecutive elections with more than 50% of the vote (read that and weep conservafools), he was the first president of either party since 1940 to win re-election with an unemployment rate above 7.5 percent.

As TIME editor Rick Stengel wrote:

“We are in the midst of historic cultural and demographic changes, and Obama is both the symbol and in some ways the architect of this new America."

“For finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union, Barack Obama is Time’s 2012 Person of the Year.”
President Obama is the fourth African descended person after Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie in 1937, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963 and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1977 to be honored with TIME Person of the Year..   The POTUS also won it after his historic election in 2008.

Trans Model Connie Fleming Strikes A FLOTUS Pose

The fledgling trans style magazine Candy is only four issues old, but publisher Luis Venegas looked to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for inspiration for the Winter 2012 cover.

It features trans model Connie Fleming styled and made up to resemble First Lady Michelle Obama.

The split front cover shows New York based model Fleming, who worked for fashion designer and Ugly Betty stylist Patrica Field, being sworn into office and waving an American flag accompanied by the headline 'The Candydate'.

Venegas explained the rationale behind this Candy cover in a Dazed Digital magazine interview..

“I remember back in early 2007 when the Democratic Party’s nominees were narrowed down between two ‘controversial’ stereotypes never before seen for presidency: a black man, Barack Obama; and a woman, Hillary Rodham Clinton. At that time, I thought, ‘when will the time come when these archaic walls break down and the White House will be occupied by, for example, a black, transsexual woman?’”

The cover has definitely been generating some buzz and conversation on the Net and has its fans and its detractors.  I fall somewhere in the middle on this. 

I'm just happy they didn't decide to do some full of fail 'edgy' cover and put a white transwoman in blackface on it.