No one had ever assumed that Nikkie de Jager would be on this list. For most of her career, Nikkie was just known as a Dutch Beauty Guru. Her YouTube channel NikkieTutorials has over 10 million subscribers. One of her most popular videos was one in which she showed her bare face and encouraged others to do the same. But, in 2020, something completely unexpected happened to her.
Someone decided to blackmail her, threatening to tell the whole world something her wider audience didn’t know: Nikki was born male. At this point, she decided she couldn’t live like this anymore and told everyone that she transitioned from male to female at a very young age. Today she continues making makeup tutorials and is engaged to her spouse, Dylan.
Stef Sanjati
Stefanie Luciana Peloza is a YouTube creator that has documented and shared her transition online for millions of people around the world to see. Her unique look is inherited thanks to Waardenburg syndrome, a genetic condition that she was born with. On her channel, she discusses what it's like to live with Waardenburg syndrome.
Sanjati has documented her facial feminization surgery on her channel, showing viewers the good, bad, and ugly sides of getting cosmetic surgeries. She has gotten many procedures done, but she is never ashamed to discuss any of them openly on her channel. And her perseverance has certainly paid off.
Jiggly Caliente
Jiggly Caliente, sometimes known simply as Jiggly, is a singer, actress, and drag performer. She rose to fame when she participated in “RuPaul's Drag Race and when she landed the role of Veronica in the TV series “Pose.” She came out as trans in 2016, but honestly, that's the least interesting thing about her.
She performed as a background dancer for Christina Aguilera and appeared in “Broad City” and “Saturday Night Live.” When she's not busy acting and dancing, she also has a musical career. In 2018 she released her first album T.H.O.T. Process. We can't wait to see what she'll do next.
Vivek Shraya
Vivek Shraya is a triple threat. She's an artist, author, and musician. She has won over 20 awards in her life. When she's not creating art, this Canadian sensation is a director on the board of a foundation that fights for LGBTQ women.
She's an incredibly prolific author and musician and has written 7 books in the past 10 years, as well as recorded 7 albums in her lifetime. Her coming out as a trans woman in 2016 did not slow her down one bit, it actually motivated her to achieve even more, and it is evident that she has.
Brian Michael Smith
Brian Michael Smith was raised by his mother in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When he was a kid, even though he was assigned female at birth, many thought he was a boy. This has helped him to find his way to the boy's football team while attending High School. Today Brian is known as, by many, Toine Wilkins, a fictional transgender police officer, in the TV series “Queen Sugar.”
He is the first black trans man who is a series regular on network television. This just goes to show that we have come a long way, but that we also have to find ways to represent more trans people in the media. In his free time, Brian advocates for the importance of trans representation.