Brazilian Valentina Sampaio has become the first transgender model for Sports Illustrated. The 23-year-old  model became the first openly transgender star to appear in the coveted Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

An excited Valentina took to Instagram to write a personal essay about this win for the transgender community.

See post below

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I am excited and honored to be part of the iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The team at SI has created yet another groundbreaking issue by bringing together a diverse set of multitalented, beautiful women in a creative and dignified way. I was born trans in a remote, humble fishing village in northern Brazil. Brazil is a beautiful country, but it also hosts the highest number of violent crimes and murders against the trans community in the world—three times that of the U.S. Being trans usually means facing closed doors to peoples’ hearts and minds. We face snickers, insults, fearful reactions and physical violations just for existing. Our options for growing up in a loving and accepting family, having a fruitful experience at school or finding dignified work are unimaginably limited and challenging. 💜🧡💛❤️💚

A post shared by Valentina Sampaio (@valentts) on Jul 10, 2020 at 5:44am PDT

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Meanwhile, Sampaio previously made history by becoming Victoria’s Secret’s first openly trans model. She is also the first trans woman to appear on the cover of Paris Vogue. She has worked with brands like Dior, H&M, Moschino, and also L’Oréal, and has covered magazines like Vanity Fair Italia and Elle Mexico. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue will hit stands on 21st July.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue dates back to 1964. Famous cover models who have made multiple appearances include Elle Macpherson, Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Kathy Ireland, and Tyra Banks. While Ronda Rousey was the first athlete to appear on the cover while Beyoncé Knowles was the first non-athlete/non-model.

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