PHOTO COURTESY OF PAX AHIMSA GETHEN, Transgender feminist and activist Raquel Willis speaking at the 2017 Transgender Day of Remembrance in San Francisco, California. Willis seeks to help spread awareness of the violence that many transgender people face.
Transgender icons through the ages
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There are many transgender people throughout the world with their own stories and struggles. Ranging from artists to activists, transgender people continue to advocate for their rights and liberties to live freely. The following is a compiled list of unique individuals of various fame.
Barbara Ann Richards: Born as Edward Prince Richards on April 1, 1912, Richards is primarily known for having successfully petitioned to change her legal name as part of her transition. Richards married Richard Wilcox in 1940, a transgender man whom she met at a party. In 1941, Richards petitioned to officially change her name from “Edward” to “Barbara” in order to be labeled as female on legal documents. After months of legal struggles with the Los Angeles County of the Superior Court, the judge ruled that Richards would be known as “Barbara Ann” on her legal documents, officially recognizing Richards as female. Around 1948, Richards annulled her marriage with Wilcox after the case in order for her to remarry him as Barbara Ann. Richards eventually went through sex reassignment surgery in 1956. Afterward, Richards continued to live a quiet life with her husband until her death in 1962.
Elliot Page: Born on Feb. 21, 1987, Page is known for being an openly trans man and renowned actor. Page has starred in several acclaimed shows and movies such as: X-Men: The Last Stand and Juno and Inception before transitioning. While Page was still publicly identifying as female, he came out as a lesbian on Feb. 14, 2014 at a conference in Las Vegas. Page married dancer and choreographer Emma Portner in 2018. However, they separated and officially divorced in 2021. Page eventually came out as a trans man on Dec. 1, 2020, changing his name from “Ellen” to “Elliot.” He also became the first trans man to appear on the cover of the Time magazine. From there, Page has continued to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and environmental change, inspiring trans people throughout his acting career.
Raquel Willis: Born around 1990-91, Willis is an African American activist, speaker and writer. Raised in Augusta, Georgia, Willis often struggled with gender identity early in her life. Willis eventually began her transition before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2013. After graduation, Willis became involved in activism with fellow transgender people and people of color, advocating for transgender women of color. Willis’s writing has been featured in several publications, including The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, For Harriet, and Vogue. In 2018, Willis was appointed as an executive editor of the American LGBTQ+ magazine Out, where she highlighted the violence against trans women of color in the “Trans Obituaries Project.” Since 2020, Willis has served as the Director of Communications for the Ms. Foundation for Women, a non-profit organization that strives to help women in America by advocating for women’s rights and feminist activism. Willis continues to work as a transgender rights activist, writer and editor, specifically involved with transgender and LGBTQ+ women of color in America.
