We don’t know what US President Donald J. Trump has against transgender and non-binary people, but he’s definitely going too far with his latest proposal. According to a memo obtained by The New York Times, the Trump administration is “considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.” Hence, millions of transgender and non-binary adults would be defined out of existence if this policy is passed—which will reportedly be decided by disgraced Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Following this news, many people—both cisgender and trans—all over the world have expressed their disappointment support to the trans community via the hashtag #WontBeErased. This aims to show the US government “Hey, we exist and we’re not going anywhere.”
This issue isn’t just important abroad because trans people deserve recognition and respect everywhere in the world. So to show our support to the #WontBeErased cause and also to prove that the community has done a lot in various aspects, we’ve rounded up some of the notable and inspirational transgender people in the past few years.
Iyah Mina
Mamu, and a Mother Too star Iyah Mina is the first transgender woman to win best actress in the Philippines. During her speech at the C1 Originals awarding ceremony, she dedicated the win to the trans community, especially in a country where representation in this spectrum isn’t common. Iyah’s recognition may just open doors for more transgender actors in local media.
Laverne Cox
We all know Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black. She’s one of the most sought-after transgender actress since starring in the Netflix series, and has used her influence to bring awareness to transgender rights. After the announcement of the proposed Trump policy, Laverne has been one of the many celebrities leading the fight against the erasure.
Jamie Clayton
Another actress that gained traction in a Netflix series is Sense8 star Jamie Clayton. She identifies as “trans” but expressed on Out Magazine that she wants to eliminate labels—like instead of identifying her as a “trans actress,” she’d rather be called an actress. You know, to level the playing field and so she’s not seen as an oddity.
Nikita Dragun
Beauty vlogger Nikita Dragun is never shy nor ashamed of her transition from male to female—she even posts videos to share her experiences and other facts about being transgender. Nikita currently has over 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube and 3.1 million Instagram followers. She’s also had major collaborations with Morphe Brushes, NYX Cosmetics, and Bellami Hair. Even though she’s not as active in uploading videos, her social media presence is still strong—and she makes sure that all of her posts are #extra if needed.
Jake Zyrus
The singer has made it clear that he’s living his truth as Jake Zyrus. His transition wasn’t received all that positively by a lot of Filipinos, but he didn’t let it stop him from continuing with his life and music. He also recently published a memoir where he candidly expressed his struggle with his identity and finding who he was in the process.
Caitlyn Jenner
Last night, Caitlyn Jenner was criticized for expressing support to the #WontBeErased campaign because she supported Trump from the beginning. However, we think she’s free to change her mind if it means helping out the community she belongs in. And we can’t deny how notable Caitlyn is since she came out as trans in 2015. She’s always been vocal on learning about the transgender community, and made history as the face of brands like H&M and MAC.
Hari Nef
Hari Nef is an IMG-signed model (the first transgender woman in their roster), actress, activist, and author. She first made waves when she debuted on New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2015, walking for Hood by Air and Eckhaus Latta. As an activist, she’s advocated for trans rights and representation in movies.
Angelina Mead-King
Entrepreneur and car enthusiast Angelina Mead-King came out as a transgender woman in 2016. Since then, she and her wife Joey has been sharing bits of their life, including how she’s getting used to dressing like a woman. Since then, Angie has been featured in campaigns and collabs that celebrate diversity—the latest one was with Colourette Cosmetics.
Art by Marian Hukom
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