Lili Elbe, Cristina Ortiz “La Veneno”, Hunter Schafer and other trans women who have conquered show business

Although many years ago the idea that a transsexual or transgender woman could succeed in show business was something impossible, things have revolutionized and with it the demand of the public who consumes entertainment projects now not only requires LGBT+ representation in music, movies, series or soap operas, but also they have also seen what great talent they can have.

On the way to International Women's Day, here are a series of artists who have triumphed in fields such as singing, composition, acting, modeling, painting, the world of fashion and so on, and have left their representation high through their great talent, charisma, performance and even directly or indirectly support in the existing advances of other trans women in everyday life.

One cannot begin to talk about trans women, without mentioning the first - documented - in the history of humanity. Lili Elbe, who surely people who do not belong to the diversity community can place by having her life recorded in the seventh art with the film The Danish Girl, was not only the first person known to undergo sex change surgery, but also to have been a highly successful artist.

Without having made her change, she met Gerda Wegener at the Copenhagen School of Art (Kunstakademiet), and they married in 1904. Both worked as illustrators. Lili specialized in landscape paintings while Gerda did the same with picture books and fashion magazines.

Although the story of how she discovered she was a woman is still a favorite among members of the community, the other side of the coin is talking about the great talent she had and continues to pursue her, so she is not only considered the first person to make her transition, but also the first trans painter in the history of the humanity.

In addition, she is also considered one of the pioneers in the foray into the world of modeling, knowing that she was a transsexual woman. Although much of his artistic work has been forgotten over time, his history was also reflected in books and documentaries. Lili Elbe died in surgery at the age of 49 when she wanted to implant a uterus so she could have children.

Christine Jorgensen has a special connection with Lili Elbe, because while The Danish Girl paved the way for them in this career, the American was also the first transsexual person to have had successful sex reassignment surgery. Although the world also remembers her because she served in the United States Army during World War II and returned from Europe as her and fully identified with her body, this brought her to the front page of the New York Daily News in 1952: “Former Soldier Becomes Blonde Beauty!” , was the wrong headline that the newspaper gave her at that time, however she was more than that.

In addition to being a model, she instantly became a celebrity, using her fame to defend trans people. Jorgensen worked as an actress and cabaret artist and recorded several songs. In 1970 his life was brought to the big screen in the film The Christine Jorgensen Story, by director Irving Rapper, based on the script in his autobiography, played by actor John Hansen as its protagonist.

Caroline Tula Cossey began her change at the age of 17. She came to work as a model for several fashion magazines, was the Bond girl in 1981 in the film Just for Your Eyes and was the cover of Playboy, being a success for the time when she did so since she was the first trans woman to do so. Some time later, a British newspaper News of the World revealed her “condition”, under another pretentious headline that undoubtedly sought to end her career: “The Bond girl was a boy”. Years later, she confessed that at that time suicide passed through her mind, but fortunately she decided to move on, published the book I am a woman and fought to change the laws that did not want to consider her as what she was, a woman.

Cristina Ortíz is undoubtedly one of the nascent icons in the LGBT+ community because in recent years her story has unfortunately gone viral due to her controversial and mysterious death, which was captured in 2020 with the HBO series MAX Veneno. She was known for her stint on several television programs in the 90s in Spain, which quickly made the public know her as La Veneno.

According to his memoirs Ni Puta Ni Santa (2016) and in numerous interviews, he left his village when he was too young to live in Malaga and Torremolinos. One night their fate changed when television cameras came to make a report on prostitution. The video was broadcast on the evening program Tonight we crossed the Mississippi, the transgressor and successful late-night that Pepe Navarro conducted on Telecinco. Cristina's appearance surprised the entire audience and the journalist decided to include her in his cast in April 1996.

The death of Cristina, the unforgettable Veneno, was on November 9, 2016 and was shrouded in mystery generating much controversy. On various fronts, attempts have been made to reopen the case without any success until now, despite this, she remains one of the most important trans women in the history of Spanish television.

Mexico also has its representatives. Felicia Garza triumphed in the music world under the name Felipe Gil, she even won the OTI as a composer, but at the age of 74 she dared to follow her ideals and became a woman.

Alejandra Bogue is another top Mexican benchmark in terms of talent, success and great content when it comes to the world of Mexican shows. She made her debut in a school play giving life to a female character and eventually became involved in the gay world, participating in various transvestite shows. In fact, she is the first trans woman to gain recognition from the Mexican Association of Theater Critics. At the beginning of 2000 she joined the program Desde Gayola, however she has participated in various television projects worldwide such as Women: Casos de la Vida Real or telenovelas for Televisa.

Victoria Volkóva, from Mexico City, is a model, vlogger, youtuber, makeup artist, writer and actress. Although she belongs to the new generation of famous trans Mexicans who are succeeding in the world, her talent has even led her to star in the hit film Sex, Modesty y Lágrimas 2 for a major global streaming platform.

Hunter Schafer rose to worldwide fame for his role as Jules in the HBO drama MAX Euphoria. She has worked as a model for important clothing brands such as Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Maison Margiela, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Versus Versace, among other fashion houses. Teen Vogue gave her the cover of her special issue, in December 2017. In 2021, Time included her on its Next list of “100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future”, including a tribute written by actress and singer Zendaya.

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