Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette came from the Arquette family, so that already says something about her acting chops. Back in the day, going by their birth name Robert, Arquette had roles in movies such as “Pulp Fiction,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and “Of Mice and Men,” among others. Arquette was a poet, activist, acting teacher, and even a therapist.
Her trans identity came to the forefront when she began performing as a female impersonator under the pseudonym Eva Destruction. In 2014, Arquette completed her gender reassignment surgery. You can see her transition story in the 2007 film “Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother.” Tragically, Alexis Arquette passed away due to complications related to HIV in 2016.
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."
Trace Lysette
Trace Lysette entered the spotlight in the critically acclaimed Amazon series "Transparent." But before she hit the big time, Lysette was finding herself in the New York City underground ball scene, performing in bars and clubs around the city. You can also check out her incredible dance moves in the 2019 film "Hustlers."
Lysette made her debut on TV for an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2013, and of course, the opportunities grew from there as "Transparent" is one of the greatest shows about trans people and...we'll go one step further...one of the greatest shows in of all time.
Candis Cayne
Candis Cayne started out in the underground New York City nightclubs and drags scene in the ‘90s and officially came out six years later. But her real rise to fame happened on ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money," where she landed a recurring transgender role on the hit show.
Cayne has expressed that she never really intended on being a transgender role model, just a happy human being. Well, she certainly is both. Over the last few years, Cayne has continued her smooth transition into the world of fictional TV, making appearances in shows such as "Grey's Anatomy," "Transparent," and "The Magicians," to name a few.
Amanda Lepore
As an iconic performing artist and model, Amanda Lepore got her foot in the door of New York's crazy nightlife as a Club Kid member. Lepore then caught the attention of famous photographers like Ruben Van Schalm, David LaChapelle, and Terry Richardson, who were instrumental in creating her voyeuristic style exhibitions.
Lepore has also proved her savvy business skills through her involvement with successful investments in brands and various collaborations such as Swatch and CAMP cosmetics. Lepore has made plenty of appearances on reality TV. In 2020, she made a cameo on an episode of Season 12 of "The Real Housewives of New York City."