"My whole life has been a fight. From being bullied at school consistently, kids threatening to kill me and going into graphic detail how they were going to do it, my own father beating me and calling me a f****t, to receiving industry blowback after speaking publicly about being sexually assaulted on the job... This was a victory that made all of that s*** worth it."-Teddy Quinlivan
Another day, another instance of trans folks winning despite the hostile forces arrayed against us.
Meet 25 year old model Teddy Quinlivan. She has walked runways for Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci before coming out as trans in 2017.
Like many folks who have lived non disclosed trans lives (AKA stealth) before coming out, the Boston born Quinlivan thought her career might be over after doing so, but as Geena Rocero found out after coming out, it is starting to lead to more groundbreaking opportunities, not less.
She has continued to walk Fashion Week runways, appear on magazine covers like Porter Magazine and L'Officiel, and do beauty campaigns for Redken, Milk Makeup and Maison Margiela Fragrances.
But the one she recently landed is historic and deeply personal for her. Quinlivan has now become the first openly trans model to be hired by Chanel to helm a beauty campaign.
I had walked 2 shows for Chanel while I was living in stealth (stealth meaning I hadn’t made my trans identity public yet) and when I came out I knew I’d stop working with some brands, I thought I’d never work with the iconic house of Chanel ever again," she wrote. "But here I am in Chanel Beauty Advertising. I am the first openly trans person to work for the house of Chanel, and I am deeply humbled and proud to represent my community."
Congratulations Teddy! It's is not only a huge win for you personally, but one for the trans community as well. It's just more evidence that coming out as trans doesn't mean the end of your dreams.
It came after their stock price dropped 40%, they had to close 53 stores across the USA, their CEO Jan Singer resigned, they announced they aren't doing the televised Victoria's Secret fashion show after it had it's worst ratings ever, and lost model Karlie Kloss over chief marketing office Ed Rezek's transphobic comments.
Congrats to Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who was just hired as their first out trans model.
The 22 year old Sampaio is no stranger to blazing trails in the modeling industry. She was the first out trans model to ever grace the cover of French Vogue and the first to do so for Brazilian Vogue in her native Brazil.
And now she become the first trans angel, as Vickie's Secret calls their models.
Will they be hiring more trans models to rip their runways? And when the Victoria's Secret Fashion show comes back on TV after its retooling, will a diverse group of models be part of it?
That remains to be seen if it happens.
But congrats to Valentina Sampaio for making that breakthrough. Hope it leads to many more trans models getting a shot to wear those Victoria's Secret angel wings.
Some positive news out of my home state in terms of Macy's Galleria celebrating Pride Month by hosting a fashion show inside the store yesterday from 6-8 PM CDT.
This wasn't just any store fashion show. The participating models were all local Houston area trans people, and one of the show's organizers and commentators was none other than Jessica Zyrie, who knows a few things about ripping runways.
She was joined in the commentator duties by wardrobe stylist Ashley Kahn as the models showed off in season fashion looks that were inspired by Pride month. The show also included a DJ spinning tunes, a photo booth, makeup tutorials and complementary swag.
Note to my critics. Hey it ain't always about me. I'm a firm believer in there is room for everyone in this trans community to shine, and I practice what I preach.
I was good with the fact that I got to see the spotlight shined yesterday on our younger Houston area trans peeps . I also got to watch a positive event for our community in a month we sorely needed it.
Just wish the show had been a little longer, but the people in attendance who saw this first ever event won't forget it along with the customers and employees who were in the store at the time it happened.
There's a new generation of trans models who are keeping the tradition of the long stylish line of trans models going into the 21st century. The best part about this current generation of trans models for me is that I not only am pleased and proud to call some of them my friends, I'm happy to note that the fashion industry is embracing them.
More importantly, the fashion industry is giving trans models unprecedented opportunities to work and have a successful modeling career.
More evidence of this occurred during the recently concluded 2018 New York Fashion Week.
On September 9 a groundbreaking fashion show took place during this year's New York Fashion Week sponsored by LA based designer Marco Morante.
His Marco Marco brand of clothing has always catered to the TBLGQ community, and this time he took it a step further by casting all 34 spots in his New York Fashion Week show with trans people.
While it is not uncommon to have out and non disclosed trans people strutting the catwalks during the New York Fashion Week major runway shows, they tend to be in those instances cast in shows that are overwhelmingly comprised of cis models.
The Marco Marco Collection Seven show was the first time in New York Fashion Week history that a major show was cast in which all the participating models were transgender.
“Although I have always had trans and non binary people in my shows, it became apparent to me that their presence was often overshadowed by cis gay men or cis gay men in drag,” designer Marco Morante said in an interview when asked about the casting. “I wanted to create a space to celebrate trans bodies. This was an opportunity for their presence to be undeniable and reinforce that trans is beautiful.”
Morante is one of the small cadre of designers that openly prioritizes hiring trans models for their runway shows.
One of the participants in this historic show was my BTAC homie Dezjorn Gauthier, who rocked the runway along with models Laith Ashley, Geena Rocero, Carmen Carrera, Pose actresses Angelica Ross and Dominique Jackson, Transparent actress Trace Lysette, Gigi Gorgeous, Aydian Dowling, Gisele Xtravaganza, Claudia Charriez and Arisce Wanzer just to name a few of the trans peeps walking in the historic Collection Seven show that was attended by Laverne Cox.
Speaking of my BTAC homeboy, Gauthier had this to say about his participation in this historic show.
“It’s groundbreaking. Marco is breaking the glass ceiling for transgender models especially transmen. This was more than experience for me, it was an act of resilience”
Gauthier mentioned he will continue to use modeling as a form of advocacy to spread inspiration and empowerment worldwide.
“It’s about creating equal opportunity for those after me and continuing the work of those before me”
"i'm not a fetish. I'm not a sideshow. I'm not a trend. I'm none of those things. I feel like I have a target on my head now But I don't reside in my trans-ness; I don't live there. I'm just another woman:
-Lauren Foster
Today is the milestone birthday of South African born and Miami resident, advocate, model and just another girl Lauren Foster who I have mad love and respect for. We talk and chat from time to time and I'm looking forward to the day that we can FINALLY meet in person.
When she's not being her fabulous self, her day job is being the Director Concierge and LGBTQ Coordinator at the University of Miami Hospital where she helps folks navigate the gender confirmation surgery process with Dr. Chris Salgado.
And yeah, she is one amazing person that I hope to finally get to spend some quality time with in 2018.
Happy milestone birthday Lauren! May you celebrate many more of them
Caroline Cossey appeared on Playboy's pages after she was outed back in 1991 and before she was public about her trans status in 1981. But it took until 2017 for a trans woman to make this history and grace the magazine's pages as the first ever out trans Playmate.
Meet Ines Rau, the trans woman who is making that history.
The Paris native is no stranger to Playboy readers. Rau appeared in a steamy photo shoot with Tyson Beckford back in May 2014.
She was motivated to come out as trans ironically after reading Cossey's book I Am Woman twice.
Rau said to Playboy about coming out: "It's a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it's your gender, sexuality, whatever. The people who reject you aren't worth it. It's not about being loved by others; it's about loving yourself."
As you probably guessed the transphobic haters came out to play in social media, and former porn start Jenna Jameson also has something nasty to say about it.
But bump the haters, because she's still going to be a groundbreaking Playmate, and will appear in Playboy's November.December issue that hits newsstands on October 31
