DC Comics made history last year when they introduced the American comic worlds first openly transgender character, Alysia Yeoh, in the pages of Batgirl.
Yeoh’s “coming out” story marks the latest point of progress in the rising prominence of transgender figures in the public spotlight and may pave the way for other fictional, transgender characters and real-life transgender people to be recognized and accepted in everyday life.
Check out some other famous transgender celebs below. – nicholas robinson
Isis King
Isis King made history as the first transgender model to compete on the 11th cycle of America’s Next Top Model and she later appeared on the all-star edition as well. She’s since become a superstar of the LGBT and reality TV world. She recently launched her own fashion line.
Alexis Arquette
Actor and musician, Alexis Arquette has been a prominent transgender activist in Hollywood for years.
Chaz Bono
Chaz Bono, the son of Cher and Sonny Bono, was already a gay rights figure but in 2009 he became an even bigger activist when he revealed that he is a transgender man.
Carmen Carrera
Carmen Carrera rose to fame after competing as a drag queen on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. After her season wrapped, she came out as transgender and began physically and hormonally transitioning.
Lana Wachowski
Lana Wachowski, of the famous Wachowski siblings, became the first major Hollywood director to come out as transgender in July 2012.
Lea T
Brazilian model Lea T became a household name after Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci hired her as his fit model-personal assistant. He then used her in his 2010 ad campaign. She has since been featured in Vogue Paris and Interview.
Janet Mock
People.com editor Janet Mock, turned heads last year when she came out as transgender last year.
Amanda Lepore
NYC entertainer Amanda Lepore is one of the world’s biggest transgender icons and is the muse of David LaChappelle.
Thomas Beatie
Thomas Beatie rose to fame in 2008 when he and his wife Nancy, revealed that he was pregnant with his first child. The couple has since had two other children carried by Thomas.
Marci Bowers, M.D.
Dr. Marci Powers is a pioneering surgeon in the field of transgender transitional surgery. She’s the first transgender woman to also perform the surgeries. She also performed Isis King’s surgery.
Candis Cayne
Candis Cayne became the first transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character in prime time TV when she landed a role on Dirty Sexy Money. Candis has also appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nip/Tuck and Necessary Roughness.
Jenna Talackova
Jenna Talackova made headlines when she was booted from the Miss Universe Canadian pageant because she is transgender. Jenna, however, fought back and regained her spot in the competition and won worldwide fame.
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox entered the public spotlight when she competed on Vh1’s I Wanna Work For Diddy, making her the first African-American transgender woman to be on a mainstream reality TV series. She now works as an LGBT activist.