LGBT Pride Month is officially underway, and parades will be rolling across the country for the next 30 days. After the success of marriage equality, transgender rights has become the new frontier of LGBT rights thanks to North Carolina’s bigoted bathroom law. Here’s a look at ten transgender men who are helping make history by fighting for trans awareness, and look great doing it.
2. Laith Ashley
This gorgeous Instagram and runway model, who walked in New York Fashion Week and appeared in a campaign for Barney’s New York, is quickly becoming a trans superstar and has said that he knew there was a “misalignment” between his body and gender as early as five-years-old.
3. Tiq Milian
The writer, public speaker, activist, and current national spokesperson for GLAAD makes Milan one of the most influential transgender men working right now. His advocacy, activism, and journalism has been nationally recognized. He has written for publications like Ebony, Bet, and The New York Times.
4. Ben Melzer
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The German fitness model became the first transgender man to nab the cover of European Men’s Health magazine this April. For Melzer, the reason why he wanted to be on the cover was simple: “When you are born this way, you have no choice. So many people are hiding who they truly are, so I really wanted to give the trans-community visibility. Show that we’re just normal people.”
Marquise and his bae, Felicity, caught national attention last year as a fully-trans couple. Marquise also has a YouTube channel where he discusses his experience as a trans man of color.
6. Kye Allums
The former college basketball star is now a trans advocate, public speaker, artist and mentor for LGBT youth. In 2010 Allums became the first openly transgender NCAA Division I student athlete. He later created the project “I Am Enough” which gives trans youth the opportunity to tell their own stories of transition.
