Top 10 Trans Activists to Follow on Social Media
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Trans rights are often at the forefront of our consciousness in an age where those who seek to demonise trans people engage in protracted culture wars. Now, more than ever, it is important that we listen to trans people, understand their concerns, and realise what we can do to be strong allies for the trans community. In this article, we’ll be exploring 10 trans activists we recommend you follow on social media, to get better informed about trans issues and culture!
American Actress Laverne Cox was the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Sophia Burset on Orange is the New Black. A prominent LGBT+ activist, Cox has continued to shatter the lavender ceiling with her successes, receiving numerous awards for her work on and off-screen, both in services to acting and to the LGBT+ community. Amongst her achievements, she is the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time, Cosmopolitan, and to have a wax figure in Madame Tussauds. Cox continues to use her profile to raise the conversation around transgender rights and culture.
Former editor of People magazine, where she got her first big break, Janet Mock is a media advocate who came out as trans in 2011 in a public Marie Claire article, sparking a conversation around transitioning and transgender identity. Mock went on to later become a contributing editor of Marie Claire also, where she published articles exploring both trans issues, but also issues around topics such as racial representation in television. Mock’s memoir, “Redefining Realness” is the first memoir of such prominence written by a trans person who transitioned as a young person - Mock began to transition as a freshman in highschool. Janet Mock has always been unapologetically authentic to herself, a mantra she seeks to share with others.
Son of the famous duo Sonny and Cher, Chaz Bono carved a career of his own after self-identifying as a Lesbian whilst still identifying as a woman in 1995 on the cover of The Advocate. Following this revelation, Bono went on to write a number of books around coming out and what LGBT identity meant. Just over a decade later, Bono began to transition to live as a trans man, legally changing his name and gender in 2010. The documentary exploring this, Becoming Chaz, made its way to the mainstream and won widespread praise. In his activism, Bono has championed initiatives to improve LGBT+ rights across the United States.
He’s a director, writer and actor, and she is a British Army Officer - and together, Jake and Hannah Graf are a trans couple that has continued to fight for the trans representation and acceptance that they deserve. Through his work, Jake Graf seeks to make real change by giving voices to previously unseen or underrepresented characters and stories, whilst Hannah Graf has shown exceptional keen to become the trans role model that she desperately wished she had had. Both decorated with a number of awards for their valiant work, the couple share an international stage to discuss, explore, and champion trans culture and rights.
Non-binary icon Jamie Windust is a writer, editor, speaker and model who continues to raise the profile of non-binary experiences, particularly in their recent memoir “In Their Shoes”. The book explores Windust’s own experiences growing up in Dorset, away from metropolitan hubs like London, and the attitudes and treatment they received from people as they continued to express themself as a non-binary person. In their other work, Windust has written for and edited a number publications, and their own magazine FRUITCAKE went on to win the Graduate Fashion Week in London and achieved international success.
Transgender filmmaker Campbell X documents Black LGBT culture often described as a “leading creator” in British LGBT cinema. His seminal work includes BlackmanVision, which has contributed films to the BFI for over a decade. His documentary Legacy won an award at Outfest in 2007 for exploring the legacy of slavery on relationships in African Caribbean culture, and his debut feature film Stud Life, released in 2012, picked up awards at the Screen Nation Awards a year later. The film revolves around LGBT+ themes in East London with a romantic comedy as the dominating genre. Campbell X’s most recent major film, DES!RE, was released in 2017.
Indian non-binary artist Shiva Raichandani’s works examine topics such as minority representation in the media, mental health, and the necessity of social change. Breaking into the mainstream by challenging the heteronormative narratives of Bollywood, Raichandani appeared on both Britain’s Got Talent and India’s Got Talent with the London School of Bollywood, in addition to appearing at UK Black Pride, Pride in London, the London Queer Fashion Show, TEDx London, and Netflix on different occasions. They have also branched out to the production of their own film, Queer Parivaar, which explores LGBT+ interfaith love.
Identifying as a Black transsexual feminist, Kuchenga is committed in her quest as a writer to bring truth with her work, telling the stories of people like herself. Published in publications such as Gal-Dem, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, Kuchenga has spoken openly and honestly about her experiences and beliefs, particularly on the importance of fighting for trans and women's rights. Particularly, Kuchenga embodies in her work the importance of her own experiences: relying, growing up, on Black feminist literature for survival, she has joined the canon of works that continue to provide much-needed support and representation for those struggling.
Artist, filmmaker and campaigner Fox Fisher makes art, screen printed works, which are displayed at galleries, hotels and private collections. In addition to artwork, Fox also strives for trans equality, for which they were awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton. Starring in the Channel 4 documentary “My Transsexual Summer” to raise awareness of trans issues in the UK, Fox went on to found My Genderation, which is a film project about trans issues. With over 100 films created, many of which have achieved international success, Fox has built a profile that acts as a catalyst for trans awareness and change.
Actress Trace Lysette originally worked non-transgender roles before landing the position of Shea on Amazon’s Transparent, which enabled Lysette to come out publicly. In the show, Lysette’s character Shea continued to break new ground, featuring in a storyline involving a romance with a cis heterosexual man, which was hailed at the time as “a groundbreaking moment” for trans representation. From Transparent, Lysette has appeared in a number of other award-winning roles and productions, most recently in 2019’s box-office hit Hustlers. In 2020, Queerty declared her to be one of the 50 people leading America towards equality and tolerance. Her upcoming work includes Trans in Trumpland, a documentary series about what it has meant to be trans during the Trump administration.
This week we mark Trans Day of Visibility. Check out our event on 31 March, which will feature lived experiences of the trans community, and celebrate their achievements in the face of obstacles and structural challenges in both the workplace and beyond. Register for free here.
