24 Of Transgender Celebrities Who Inspire Us

Lea T.

Brazilian model and activist Lea T. was already a recognizable figure in fashion and a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights when she shattered boundaries in 2014. That year she was chosen as the first openly transgender model to be the face of a global cosmetics brand for Redken. As she told Harper's Bazaar, "I love working with Redken because they appreciate all kinds of beauty.

They believe in the individuality of the person, and I think that's really important." Her historic campaign highlighted trans people's rightful place representing major brands at the highest levels of modeling.