We love a great leap of faith and chasing your dreams. And one of those people who has inspired us is influencer Hayet Rida with her launch of The Koi Studio!
11 Plus Size Trans Influencers and Activists You Should Be Following
International Trans Day of Visibility is celebrated and observed today, March 31st! Trans Day of Visibility acknowledges the contributions made by people within the transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse communities. It is important to celebrate and support trans folks EVERY DAY. We certainly didn’t want to miss this opportunity to amplify some of our favorite plus size trans creators and activists!
Check out this list of inspiring and endlessly cool trans creatives and changemakers that you should know (if you didn’t already)!
11 Plus Size Trans Influencers and Activists You Should Be Following
Shay Neary is an accomplished plus size model. In 2016, Neary was signed by the fashion brand Coverstory, becoming the first openly trans plus-size model to land a major campaign. In 2017, Neary came to the UK to model for the plus-size brand Yours Clothing. She continues to model for plus size fashion brands such as Universal Standard today!
Ceval, a Somali-Norwegian plus size Trans Model is a high fashion mainstay. She graces ad campaigns, magazine covers, and advocates for her community. She is a must-follow as well as style goals!
Kelli Goode is a Fat, Black, Trans- activist, Interdisciplinary artist, writer, and model. She constantly advocates for Black trans women and sex workers, who are consistently the most marginalized. Follow her for her advocacy and incredible art!
Shane Stinson, also known as Plus Size Trans Guy, is a trans man who uses his visibility to uplift and encourage others in the trans community! Follow him for amazing positive vibes and some fantastic fashion!
Da’Shaun Harrison is a Black trans writer, abolitionist, and community organizer in Atlanta, GA. Harrison currently serves as the Managing Editor of Wear Your Voice Magazine, and is the author of “Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness.” Harrison is also a public speaker who often gives talks and leads workshops on Blackness, queerness, gender, fatness, disabilities, and the intersection which they all meet.
They are all around an amazing person to support, learn from and follow!
J Aprileo is a nonbinary fat activist and the founder of Comfyfat.com, a site dedicated to sharing resources for plus size people. Follow them for plus size style, and fat activism and so much more!
Jari Jones is an American actress, filmmaker, model, and LGBTQ rights, activist. In 2020, Jones was one of the nine faces in Calvin Klein's 2020 Pride campaign. She is the first black trans producer to have a film at the Cannes Film Festival. The film Port Authority also included the first trans woman of color, Leyna Bloom, in a lead role.
Cara Eser, better known as Baby Weight, is a DJ, producer, and label boss from Washington, D.C., who has gained notoriety for her "chunky" (aka super body positive) style of dance music.
In 2017, Cara founded the label Chub Rub which showcases emerging sounds from under the radar artists across the house music spectrum. Chub Rub has amassed a cult following curated around quirkiness, community, and diversity under her direction.
Ruby Corado is an activist who founded Casa Ruby, a bilingual, multicultural LGBT organization in Washington, D.C. Casa Ruby opened in 2012; it identifies its mission as "to create successful life stories among Transgender, Gender Queer, and Gender Non-conforming Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people."
Xemi is a Two-Spirit Transgender Womxn from Kuskatan, the land known internationally as El Salvador.
She is an actor, playwright, educator, and Model. She was a Dove Partner for the #ShowUs campaign- a worldwide beauty diversity campaign by Girlgaze, Dove, and Getty Images.
Her passion is on educating the public about Indigenous issues and providing dire emotional labor for the growth of these communities. She leads community workshops that center healing through art, and help hone the artistic talents of indigenous, trans, and queer community members.
Allé is a queer, trans person who leads fat-centering Yoga and Meditation classes and Energy Healing events. These classes have been a healing space for those who do not feel welcome in traditional yoga studios. They are passionate about inclusivity and are vocal activists in their communities.
This list of amazing trans changemakers is just the tip of the iceberg! Be sure to follow them all and continue to support and be an ally to the transgender community!
Want To Know Of Some Other Ways You Can Be Of Support?
Continue to educate yourself.
Take time to learn about the trans experience and visit websites like TransEquality.org. They have extensive resources about trans folks and can likely answer any questions you may have or maybe enlighten you with information you may not have even thought about. It is important to seek this information on your own and not rely on your trans friends/family/acquaintances as a sole resource (aka google is free).
Speak out in support of transgender people and transgender rights.
This one is major! Be vocal and consistent about your support of trans people and the issues that directly affect them. Politely correct others if they use the wrong name or pronoun for a transgender person. It is super important to challenge anti-transgender conversations and “jokes.” It can be intimidating to speak out, but visible and vocal support for transgender rights can show transgender people that they are accepted, encourage other allies to speak out, and help change the minds of people who aren’t supportive of transgender people.
Think about how you use gendered language.
This one may take a bit of practice because, as a society, we are so ingrained in seeing things in such a binary way. We have to remember that someone’s appearance doesn’t always align with their gender identity. Normalize stating your own pronouns and asking others for their pronouns to learn how to address them properly and respectfully. If you make a mistake and use incorrect pronouns, simply apologize, correct yourself and move on. Soon enough, stating your pronouns and asking people’s pronouns will become second nature.
Learn about policies affecting transgender people.
We can make a difference just by paying attention to policies in places like our workplace, school, gym, etc. Find out if the spaces you frequent have trans-inclusive policies. If you notice something that is exclusionary, point it out! Advocate for change. Make sure that trans people feel safe and welcome in any and all spaces.
Call your elected officials.
While we can effect change on a smaller scale, we can also make a major difference on a grander scale as allies, as well! We must reach out to our local and nationally elected officials and demand change. Demand trans-inclusive laws be set, to end anti-trans discrimination.
Right now, Arkansas just passed a horribly anti-trans bill to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. In addition to Arkansas, Alabama and South Dakota are also pushing for restrictions on gender-affirming care. Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi have also signed trans-athlete bans into law.
Call them to let them know that anti-trans legislation is unacceptable!
Call Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson at (501)-682-2345 or email him at Asa.Hutchinson@Governor.Arkansas.Gov and tell him to Veto HB1570!
Call Alabama Governor Kay Ivey at (334) 242-7100 and tell her to veto HB1/SB10 and HB 391!
Call South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem at (605)773-3212 or email her at GovernorNoem@State.SD.us and demand her to stop HB 1217!
How do you use your voice to be an ally to trans people? Do you know of any other incredible plus size trans creators that we may have missed? Please let us know in the comments!
About the Author
Mayra Mejia
Mayra Mejia (She/Her) is a fat-positive, queer Salvadoran-American editor, writer, activist, and content creator. Passionate about fostering strong and inclusive body positive spaces, she founded PLUSH DMV, a DC-based fat-positive community.
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