We found many famous transgender people as part of our research on successful diverse people, This list of 150 famous transgender celebrities includes models, athletes, entrepreneurs, activists, musicians, authors, and more.
Famous Transgender Models
We found quite a few famous transgender models. Many of them have been very successful despite some adversity. Here are all the most famous trans models I found in my research.
Hari Nef

Famous Transgender Models
- April Ashley (British model)
- Laith Ashley (model and actor)
- Leyna Bloom (model and actress)
- Caroline Cossey (model and Bond Girl)
- Kenny Ethan Jones (model and activist)
- Isis King (model and fashion designer)
- Loiza Lamers (Holland’s top model)
- Chella Man (model and YouTube star)
- Shay Neary (plus-size model)
- Hari Nef Transgender Model
- Tracey “Africa” Norman (1st prominent African American Trans model)
- Andreja Pejic (supermodel)
- Teddy Quinlivan (fashion model)
- Valentina Sampaio (Victoria’s Secret model)
- Hunter Schafer (model and actress)
- MiMi Tao (America’s top model)
- Lea T (fashion model)
- Nathan Westling (fashion model)
Famous Transgender Actors (and other TV/Media Personalities)
We also found a long list of famous transgender people who are actors, actresses, or other media personalities. These famous transgender celebrities are listed below.
Lavern Cox

Famous Transgender Actors (& TV/Media Personalities)
- Nadia Almada (reality TV star)
- Carmen Carerra (reality TV star)
- Jamie Clayton (actress and model)
- Laverne Cox (actress and activist)
- Jackie Curtis (actress and Warhol superstar)
- Candy Darling (actress and Warhol superstar)
- Erika Ervin “Amazon Eve” (actress and fitness trainer)
- Gigi Gorgeous (YouTube personality)
- Gia Gunn (reality TV star)
- Lauren Harries (media personality)
- Ian Harvie (comedian and actor)
- Evan Ifekoya (performer)
- Eddie Izzard (comedian)
- Sir Lady Java (comedian and singer)
- Jazz Jennings (YouTube personality)
- Hetty King (actor and male impersonator)
- Nicole Maines (actress and activist)
- Kellie Maloney (sports promoter and TV personality)
- Indya Moore (actor and model)
- Fay Presto (magician)
- Terri Rogers (magician and ventriloquist)
- Jeanette Schmid (professional whistler)
- Patrick Staff (performer)
- Josie Totah (actress)
- Daniela Vega (actress and opera singer)
Famous Transgender Athletes
Our list of famous transgender athletes includes both famous transgender men and famous transgender women. Many of these famous trans people faced struggles during their athletic careers but still became successful.
Patricio Manuel

Famous Transgender Athletes
- Chloe Anderson (volleyball player)
- Harrison Browne (hockey player)
- Balian Buschbaum (pole vaulter)
- Fallon Fox (MMA fighter)
- Caitlyn Jenner (Olympic decathlete)
- Kyle Allums (basketball player)
- Mianne Bagger (professional golfer)
- Michelle Dumaresq (mountain biker)
- Keelin Godsey (track and field champion)
- Joanna Harper (runner)
- Laurel Hubbard (weightlifter)
- Veronica Ivy (cyclist)
- Andreas Krieger (shot putter)
- Dr. Bobbi Lancaster (golfer)
- Lana Lawless (professional golfer)
- Patricio Manuel (professional boxer)
- Hannah Mouncey (handball player)
- Chris Mosier (triathlete)
- Dr. Renée Richards (tennis player)
- Erik Schinegger (world champion skier)
- Jiraiya Saelua (soccer player)
- Rebecca Quinn (soccer payer)
- Anne Veriato (MMA fighter)
Famous Transgender Singers (and other Musicians)
We also found some famous transgender singers and musicians. This list includes famous trans men and famous trans women who have paved the way for future transgender musicians.
Teddy Geiger

Famous Transgender Singers (& Musicians)
- Ah-Mer-Ah-Su (singer)
- Cidny Bullins (singer and songwriter)
- Ryan Cassata (musician)
- Shea Diamond (pop and soul musician)
- Teddy Geiger (musician and songwriter)
- Laura Jane Grace (rock singer)
- Grey Gritt (singer and songwriter)
- Skylar Kergil (folk musician and YouTube star)
- Lady – Sinae, Sahara, Binu, and Yuna (K-pop Transgender band)
- Kylie “Sonique” Love (singer and dancer)
- Dee Palmer (composer and keyboardist)
- Kim Petras (pop star)
- Lucas Silveira (singer)
- SOPHIE (mechanical musician)
Famous Transgender Artists
Here is a list of famous transgender artists. This list includes famous transgender people who are painters, photographers, sculptors, and video artists.
Vaginal Davis

Famous Transgender Artists
- Justin Vivian Bond (painter)
- Loren Cameron (photographer)
- Micha Cárdenas (digital artist)
- Heather Cassils (body sculpture artist)
- Vaginal Davis (performance artist)
- Zackary Drucker (visual artist)
- Rhys Ernst (photographer)
- Yishay Garbasz (photographer and installations)
- Juliana Huxtable (visual artist)
- Jeffrey Catherine Jones (fine artist)
- Greer Lankton (doll crafter)
- Amos Mac (photographer)
- Tuesday Smillie (mixed media artist)
- Wu Tsang (video artist and performer)
Famous Transgender Authors (and other Writers)
There are some really creative famous transgender authors who write everything from novels to short stories, to poetry, and personal memoirs. Here is a list of some famous trans people who write.
Chaz Bono

Famous Transgender Authors & Writers
- Charlie Jane Anders (novel and short story writer)
- Valerie Arkell-Smith (Writer and entertainer)
- S. Bear Bergman (poet and playwright)
- Imogen Binnie (author and podcast host)
- Chaz Bono (writer and actor)
- Kate Bornstein (author and gender theorist)
- Patrick Califia (gender studies writer)
- Jennifer Finney Boylan (memoir author)
- Stephanie Burt (poet)
- Jay Dodd (poet and essayist)
- Eli Erlick (writer)
- Juliet Jacques (freelance writer)
- Andrea James (blogger)
- Christina Kahrl (sportswriter)
- Thomas Page McBee (author and journalist)
- Janet Mock (memoir author)
- Daniel Ortberg (author and editor)
- Casey Plett (short story writer)
- Jordan Rosenberg (writer and professor)
- Julia Serano (non-fiction author)
- Vivek Shraya (non-fiction author)
- Abby Stein (author and blogger)
- Susan Stryker (history writer)
Most Famous Trans Leaders, Politicians, Activists, and Entrepreneurs
This list of famous trans people include activists, business owners, and politicians. Many of these famous trans men and famous transgender women fight for civil rights for the transgender community.
Elle Hearns

Dr. Rachel Levine

Abel Liu

Famous Transgender Leaders, Activists, Politicians and Entrepreneurs
Here’s the full list:
- Dr. Rebecca Allison (cardiologist and Transgender activist)
- Lucy Hicks Anderson (entrepreneur, socialite, and chef)
- Nisha Ayub (Transgender activist)
- Jenny Bailey (politician)
- Thomas Baty (lawyer for the Imperial Japanese government)
- Thomas Beatie (public speaker, author, and Transgender activist)
- Danielle Bunten Berry (game design entrepreneur)
- Lynda Cash (Royal Navy officer)
- Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark (creator of AIDS Education and GIS database)
- Angela Clayton (Transgender activist)
- Joanne Conte (American politician)
- Elagabalus (Roman Emporer)
- Alexander John Goodrum (African-American Transgender civil rights activist)
- Julia Grant (Transgender activist)
- Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (Transgender activist)
- Alan L Hart (Physician and researcher)
- Elle Hearns (Transgender activist and Black Lives Matter Co-founder)
- Jennel Jaquays (game design entrepreneur)
- Victoria Kolakowski (judge)
- Rachel Levine (U.S.’s Assistant Secretary of Health; also former Pennsylvania Health Secretary) (first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation)
- Sarah McBride (First openly transgender state senator — Delaware)
- Charley Parkhurst (farming entrepreneur)
- Jennifer Pritzker (investor and philanthropist)
- Stu Rasmussen (politician)
- Sylvia Rivera (Latina American Transgender rights activist)
- Angelica Ross (entrepreneur and Transgender activist)
- Gwendolyn Ann Smith (Transgender Day of Remembrance founder)
- Theresa Sparks (politician)
- Karen Frances Ulane (pilot and civil rights legislation activist)
- Dr. Penny Whetton (Climatology expert)
- Sophie Wilson (IT entrepreneur)
- Sgt. Major Joanne Wingate (British Army)
- Kate Craig Wood (IT entrepreneur)
More Famous Trans People?
My list is by no means complete. Please let me know if you find other successful trans people and I will be glad to add them! Just ping me at Heather@Ongig.com.
If you find a famous trans person and send it to me, please include a source link for it. That way I can give that source a shout-out in the “Sources” section below!
Sources for my Research on Famous Trans Women and Famous Trans Men
These pros helped me source the article — thank you!
- 12 transgender models who are changing the industry (by Frank Olito)
- 15 Revolutionary and Influential Transgender Artists Who Refuse to Be Invisible (by Lauren Palmer)
- 13 Incredible Transgender Authors You Should Start Following (by Caroline Burke)
- 7 transgender musicians changing the music industry (by Frank Olito)
- Top 15 Famous Transgender Athletes (by Mollie Brown)
- Olympic Soccer Player Rebecca Quinn Has Come Out Publicly as Trans (by Donald Padgett)
- Laverne Cox Highlights Trans Representation With New Netflix Doc Disclosure (by Irina Gonzalez)
- Patricio Manuel, the first trans boxer to compete professionally: ‘It was self preservation’ (by Sam Levin)
- Allow Teddy Geiger to Reintroduce Herself (by Brittany Spanos)
- Wikipedia’s page on Vaginal Davis
- Transgender celebs you need to know (by CBS News)
- Wikipedia’s List of Famous Transgender People
- Famous Trans People (by the Proud Trust)
- How 4 Black Lives Matter activists handle queerness and trans issues (by Deron Dalton)
- Sarah McBride becomes first openly transgender state senator in the nation, elected in Delaware (by Wyatte Grantham-Philips and Natalia Alamdari)
Why I wrote this?
Ongig is on a mission to eliminate boring and biased job descriptions. As part of this, we try to share best practices on all aspects of diversity. For example, Ongig’s Text Analyzer helps you avoid words that are exclusionary to famous (or non-famous) people based on sexual orientation. Please visit Ongig if you’d like to learn more.