Our Lady J
One of the major voices behind shows such as “Transparent” and “Pose,” Our Lady J is a key person in bringing these shows to life. She has also had some significant writing credits on a variety of episodes on some of the latest seasons of both “American Horror Story” and “American Horror Stories.”
Aside from television writing and production, she is also a classically trained pianist and singer. In fact, she moved to the big city in order to be a musical director. When her album “Picture of a Man” earned attention, since then, our Lady J has been flying.
Christine Jorgensen
Christine Jorgensen is considered to be the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery in history. The Bronx native left to pursue a degree as soon as her military service was done in the year 1945. It was during this time that she learned about transitioning genders.
The student then left for Denmark, the only country at the time to be performing surgeries of this sort. There she also began hormone treatment. Her return to New York was met with mad fascination, throwing her in the spotlight, a position Jorgensen wasn't always happy with, but with her charisma and wit, the trans-icon charmed America and gave a face to the movement.
Jake Zyrus
Born Charice Pempengco, Jake Zyrus is a singer and TV personality hailing from the Philippines who rose to fame on the Ellen Show. He has had many international TV appearances and even performed with artists like David Foster and Andrea Bocelli. After establishing a successful singing career, Zyrus joined the cast of "Glee." in 2010 as Sunshine Corazon.
Zyrus's transition started relatively recently. In an interview with Papermag, he said, "I am always thankful for the life of Charice that I experienced and the music that I shared, but that obviously belongs to her, it's not for me. I'm letting her go and be free."
Jamie Clayton
This incredible actress, Jamie Clayton, garnered attention for her role as Nomi Marks in the Netflix original series "Sense8" (created by the Wachowski sisters). She then returned to our screens in the iconic character of Sasha Booker in"Designated Survivor's" third season.
You would be surprised to learn that Clayton wasn't even an actress prior to all this success, but a make-up artist and host of VH1’s show "TRANSform Me." The actress continues to land juicy roles in shows and even narrated for an audiobook. In 2022, she had the huge honor of playing Pinhead in the long-awaited remake of the classic horror movie "Hellraiser."
Kate Bornstein
Here we have entertainer, author, and transgender intellectual (she's been called a gender theorist) Kate Bornstein. While she focuses heavily on matters of gender, her literary works often address eating and personality disorders. This multi-talented performance artist has had her battles.
Bornstein is a PTSD survivor and has also been diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder. She also survived lung cancer, after being diagnosed back in 2012 and officially announcing she was cancer-free three years later. She remains active in the world of performance art and has continued to write books. In 2018, Bornstein made her Broadway debut in the play "Straight White Men."