10 Stars Who Embraced Their True Identity and Are Living Their Best Life
Male and female are the two genders that someone can be born belonging to. But, as we grow older and get a grasp of our true selves, many people realize that this categorization doesn’t work for them. They might feel that they belong to the opposite gender and want to do everything they can in order to look like it. We are just glad to see them be happy and flourish in their lives.
1. Elliot Page
Canadian actor and producer Elliot Page was born as Ellen Page on February 21, 1987, and was assigned female at birth. For many years, he was known to a wide audience as Ellen, until Elliot announced his transition in December of 2020. “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they, and my name is Elliot. I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” wrote Elliot in his Twitter post.
2. Mj Rodriguez
Mj Rodriguez was born on January 7, 1991. She wanted to be an actress since childhood and started her acting career with theatrical performances and episodes in TV shows. In 2016, she started the transitioning process and later re-emerged as a transgender actress. In 2022, she won a Golden Globe for “best actress” for her work in Pose.
3. Kim Petras
Kim Petras wanted to be a pop star since she was a child in Germany, and moved to Los Angeles with just a dream and $550. She shot to fame in 2017 when her debut single topped Spotify’s Global Viral Top 50 — and the music video even featured Paris Hilton! But Petras is quick to say that she wasn’t discovered: “I discovered myself.” She is now smashing records everywhere, as the first openly transgender performer to sing at the VMAs and at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
4. Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox, born on May 29, 1972, is most famous for her role in the Netflix series, Orange Is the New Black. In 2014, Laverne became the first transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2015, Time magazine included Laverne in the “100 Most Influential People” list of the year. Laverne also became the first openly transgender person who appeared on covers of Time, British Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Essence magazines.
5. Janet Mock
Janet Mock is a writer, and she is used to making history with her success by now. First, she was the first ever transgender woman of color hired as a writer on a TV series, when she was hired on Pose. Then, she was a trailblazer again when she signed a 3-year deal with Netflix, making her the first black transgender woman to achieve an overall deal with a major studio.
As a young person, there weren’t really affirming images in the media that showed her experience, which is why she decided to make them. She got into writing to “tell the truth. In that sense, my career, for me, really started when I stepped forward and told my own story,” Mock shared.
6. Indya Moore
Indya Moore, born on January 17, 1995, is an actress and model, mostly known for her role in Pose. In 2019, Time magazine named Indya among the “100 Most Influential People of the Year.” The actress came out as transgender and non-binary and prefers they/them and she/her pronouns.
7. Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer is young, but has already found huge success, first as a model, and then as the lead character Jules on HBO’s Euphoria. As a trans woman, she said it was nice to play a character who is complex and isn’t just dealing with their gender. Hunter even worked with the show’s creator to make her character’s experience as real as possible.
Hunter said that it’s “really exciting to me, because that story will be accessible.” When she was a teen, finding representation when it came to people with her experiences online was important to her, and now she gets to be that for the younger generation.
8. Asia Kate Dillon
Asia Kate Dillon was born on November 15, 1984. The actor is non-binary and prefers singular they/them pronouns. Dillon is best known for their roles in the TV series, Orange Is the New Black, and Billions. Dillon claims that gender is a large spectrum that is not limited by male and female genders, and that’s why the actor stopped using gendered pronouns in relation to themselves.
9. Josie Totah
Josie Totah was born as J. J. Totah on August 5, 2001. The actress became popular thanks to her role in the Disney Channel series, Jessie. She publicly came out as a trans woman in 2018. Josie wrote an article for Time magazine where she opened up about her transitioning journey. “This is not something that just happened. This is not a choice that I made. When I was 5, long before I understood what the word gender meant, I would always tell my mother that I wished I were a girl,” Josie confessed.
10. Eddie Izzard
Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard has chosen the pronouns she/her for quite a white now. Lately, she also revealed that she would like to also be called “Suzy” by people. “I’m going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard, that’s how I’m going to roll. So, people can choose what they want. They can’t make a mistake. They can’t go wrong with me.”