1. Laverne Cox

Having been catapulted to fame by the 2012 Netflix Original Orange Is The New Black, Laverne Cox is the first transgender woman to receive an Emmy nomination in any acting category. She was also the first transgender to appear on TIME magazine’s cover and in 2017, she became the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on broadcast TV on CBS’s Doubt.

It was in her later college years that Cox began identifying as a female and started the medical process of transitioning. While in college, the LGBTQ advocate had already starred in several off-Broadway shows and independent student films. In 2007, she got inspired by Candice Cayne and sent out almost 500 postcards to filmmakers and directors which landed her two episodes in Law & Order and parts in I Want to Work For Diddy.

Notably, in 2014, Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word won a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Special Class Special category and Cox received the honour as executive producer of the TV documentary movie. The icon has always emphasised the correct usage of queer-friendly terms and believes that the obsession around questions of gender-affirming surgeries limits and restricts trans people while also affecting public policies.

2. Caitlyn Jenner

It was 2015 when one of America’s most favourite sportspersons, a gold medalist decathlete at Olympics 1976, came out as a transgender woman. Caitlyn Jenner, who was then known as Bruce Jenner, was the waterskiing East Coast overall champion in 1966, 1969, and 1971. After a very successful career as an active sportsperson, the all-American hero went on to be a sports commentator. In 1991, fame hit Caitlyn differently when she got married to Kris Kardashian. When the TV series Keeping Up With The Kardashians aired in 2007, Caitlyn was an important part of it with Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner being young teens then.

After coming out as a woman in April, 2015, she revealed two months later that she wanted to be referred to as Caitlyn. She starred in the TV series I Am Cait for two seasons where her journey as a transgender after the transition was chronicled.

3. Hunter Schafer

Youth icon and actor, Hunter Schafer shot to fame after playing the role of Jules in the HBO series Euphoria where she is portrayed a transgender high-school student who struggles with gender identity among other things. In a recent conversation with students, Schafer said that the character of Jules was not only relatable but it also symbolises a step in the right direction for transgender representation in film and television. As an LGBTQ rights advocate and a member of the community, the actor has said: “I do like people to know that I am not a cis (gender) girl because that is not something that I am or feel like I am. I am proud to be a trans person.”

The actor never resonated with the superhero films her mother tried to show her and Wonder Woman attracted her more. In high school, when she grew facial hair, she developed gender dysphoria and a strong desire to be of another gender. The actor’s other ventures on screen include The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Cuckoo.

4. Alexandra Billings

Known for her recurring roles as transgender women on the Amazon series Transparent and the ABC sitcom The Conners, Alexandra Billings was a pioneer as one of the first transgender actors to play the role of a transgender character on television. She has acted in the role of a trans character in How to Get Away with Murder, Never Have I Ever, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and Romy and Michele: In the Beginning. Talking about how queer characters are mostly cast in supporting roles, Billings said: “I want the queer voice to be the centre story. I want us to stop being only the supportive voice.” As a part of the infancy of Hollywood’s trans revolution, the 61-year-old said: “The ask of trans people isn’t about conformity for you. It’s about honoring us, that’s all.”

Alexandra Billings at the Transparent screening at the 2019 Tribeca TV Festival

While she enjoyed her time as drag queen Shanté, the road to confirming her gender identity was tumultuous. She experienced violence including rape and assault. She suffered from a drug addiction, tried to die by suicide and later had an HIV diagnosis. On the brighter side, Billings has had a supportive partner for over 40 decades — Chrisanne Blankenship who is also a producer and writer.

5. Dr Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju

As one of India’s first openly transgender actors, Trinetra was lauded widely for her performance in the Amazon Prime Video series Made In Heaven Season 2. The 25-year-old recorded her journey on YouTube and Instagram when she transitioned from male to female. The doctor-turned-actor is a graduate from Kasturba Medical College and is Karnataka’s first transgender doctor.

She said: “As someone who came out as queer over a decade ago, I must admit that old wounds may never entirely heal in a family, but many people come around in ways you don’t expect.” In a recent Instagram post, Trinetra said: “Homes are where transphobic violence first begins. What if love began at home instead? A world of abundance for queer/trans people, where affection flows so freely in biological and chosen families, that one never feels the need to seek it out of compulsion/desperation in places and people that have no good to offer? Perhaps it is possible, after all, to slowly but surely build that world.”

6. Anjali Ameer

Known for her stint in Bigg Boss Malayalam, Anjali Ameer is a transgender actor who is popular in the South Indian film industry. She played the lead role in the Tamil film, Peranbu. Talking about her background, she said: “I lost both my parents when I was young. I wasn’t accepted by my family, and so I left my hometown, Kozhikode, to go live with transgender communities in Coimbatore and Bangalore. Now, I’m happy to say that my family has accepted me.” As the first transgender actor in the South Indian film industry, Anjali’s advocacy alongside her work in films like Ammu and Suvarna Purushan are critically acclaimed.

7. Ivanka Das

Recently seen in Ghoomer as Rasika, Mumbai-based Ivanka Das is a transsexual actor who has worked on several OTT shows like Bombay Begums, Maja Ma, Sunflower and Haddi. Born as Arandeep Das, the 37-year-old comes from a humble background where her mother used to work as a manager at Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai before they moved to Calcutta. Talking about her struggle period, Ivanka said: “I did all sorts of work, as a security guard, washing dishes at a hotel, etc. I’ve lived my life as a gypsy. A few years ago, I suffered from an extreme case of alopecia. I lost my hair. I was sick then and got frustrated, so I shaved whatever little was left. A photographer friend told me that with my bald head, strong jawline and big, effeminate eyes, I had a very androgynous look and that he would love to shoot me. And that shoot went very well and I started modelling.” Ivanka plays the role of Abhishek Bachchan’s sister in Ghoomer and acts alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the 2023 film, Haddi.

8. Sushant Divgikr

Sushant Divgikr aka Rani KoHEnur is one of the major faces of India’s transgender performers and actors. Having appeared on Bigg Boss Season 8, Sushant is a singer, drag artiste and was recently seen in Thank You for Coming where she starred opposite Bhumi Pednekar. In a recent chat with t2, Rani said: “Have you seen Kill Bill? When Uma Thurman is buried in a coffin by her guru and she keeps on hitting the wood even though her knuckles keep bleeding. That was the only way she could survive, otherwise she would asphyxiate and die. Finally, she breaks through the coffin, and that is the lesson, the survival of the fittest. Every day you wake up and see the sun and see the moon while going to sleep, that is your gift on days when nothing else made you smile. What you do with it is up to you. The crowd mentality is to pull each other down, but if someone is pulling you down that means you are already ahead of them. So, march ahead darling, peechhe dekhna mat, chalte bano!”

9. Hari Nef

Model and actor Hari Nef has secured a prominent position in the hearts of her admirers with her commendable performance in Jill Soloway’s Transparent. The Jewish-origin transsexual actor is also the first trans woman model to be signed by the prestigious IMG modelling agency and has walked for fashion houses like Gucci and H&M. The show Transparent also talks about trans issues and Hari says it “resonates with her”.

10. Indya Moore

Actor, model and activist Indya Moore is loved for her performance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Escape Room, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions and Queen & Slim. She is best known for playing the role of sex worker Angel Evangelista in the FX series Pose. She has been vociferous about trans rights and their dignity. She recently replied to a message on social media that asked her about her transition process. Moore said: “Stop asking us about what processes we’ve gone through to exist... stop speaking about our bodies like our operations aren’t life-saving, like it isn’t health care. Trans people aren’t living examples of your dream boob job. We are not cosmetic mood boards.”

11. Valentina Sampaio

The beautiful Brazilian model and actress had a breakthrough as she became Victoria Secret’s first transgender model. Sampaio who has been the first transgender model to star in the front pages of several renowned publications, has always been an advocate of LGBTQ rights. She said: “Brazil is a beautiful country, but it also hosts the highest number of violent crimes and murders against the trans community globally — three times that of the USA. Being trans usually means facing closed doors to peoples’ hearts and minds.” She always had supportive parents and classmates who “saw her as a little girl”.

12. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez

Michaela became the first trans woman to win a Golden Globe Award which she bagged for her performance in the television show Pose. The 33-year-old said: “At seven years old, I had an understanding that I was this extremely divine feminine creature on this earth.” In fact, she realised who she was while playing the role of a drag artiste in an off-Broadway production Rent. After coming out at the age of 24, Michaela had to choose a direction of hardship in an entertainment industry where trans people were not offered many roles. “I had family members who loved and adored me, so that was the easiest part, right? I had a pillar and a foundation. But outside in the world, you just never know what’s going to come your way,” said Rodriguez.