Yasmine Petty
Yasmine Petty is a model of Italian and Moroccan descent who has literally done it all! She modeled for “Vogue Italia” and Louis Vuitton, and starred in “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Before she modeled, she dabbed in a few other professions, she was a stylist, a model scout, and a creative director, and she even went to a culinary arts school.
But honestly, the most impressive thing about her story is that her transness has never been the focus of what she does. She’s an example of the fact that trans people are so much more than just trans and that they can do whatever they want to, just like the rest of us.
Jenna Talackova
Jenna was born in Vancouver and began transitioning at age 14. By 19, she had completed her reassignment surgery. In 2012 she applied for the Miss Universe competition, and made it to the top 70 applicants but was denied from participating in the competition because she was born a male.
But Jenna isn't the type of person that would just give up without a fight. She protested the unfair decision and ended up being allowed into the competition. The most impressive part of this story is that Jenna never set out to be an activist or an advocate for trans rights. She just fought for her own rights and ended up changing the world.
Andreja Pejic
It is safe to say that Andreja Pejic was born to be a model, no matter her gender. Andreja was born in Bosnia but had to flee her home country because of a terrible war. Luckily, she landed in Melbourne, Australia, where, at 17, she was discovered. At that time, she had already known there was something different about her gender.
That has actually given her an advantage in the modeling industry because she could model both as a woman and as a man. This made her much more versatile than your average model. In 2013, she decided to commit to what she felt was her gender all along. She had sex reassignment surgery and emerged as a woman.
Geena Rocero
Like many other trans women on our list, Geena Rocero is a supermodel. She has built her way up from being a pageant girl from a working-class family in the Philippines to being an advocate for trans rights and an entrepreneur. She has founded a media production company that fights for gender equality for all.
She announced that she is indeed a trans woman during a Ted Talk she gave in 2014. She said that she felt like she had to share her story in order to inspire others just like her who might feel ashamed of who they are. No one should be ashamed of who they are, she said, and we agree.
Dana International
Dana International became an instant icon when she won 1998's Eurovision Song Contest with her song “Diva.” Dana was born in Tel Aviv as the youngest of three children. As a young child, there were two things she already knew -- that she felt like a woman and that she desperately wanted to become a singer.
Her family was poor but supportive; her mom made sure they spent every extra penny paying for Dana's music lessons. One of the truly amazing facts about Dana is that she came out at age 13, which is an early age even today. Back then, the year was 1982, and people were not as aware as they are today. She has managed to find commercial success in Israel.