Model Teddy Quinlivan Comes Out as Trans
23-year-old model Theodora Quinlivan (who goes by Teddy) is a regular at fashion show catwalks. Discovered by Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière in 2015, she's walked in and worked for campaigns from many of fashion's biggest names.
But it's only now that she's shared her trans identity with others, and in an interview with CNN, Quinlivan explained why it felt so important for her to come out as trans now:
"I've decided to reveal my trans identity because of the political climate in the world right now - particularly in the United States. We made an amazing progression under the Obama administration, and since the new administration took office there's been a kind of backlash."
Part of the reason, Quinlivan also shared, that she came out is because of the reported increase in violence against LGBTQ people in recent years, particularly against trans women of color:
"There's been violence against transgender people - particularly transgender women of color - since before I even knew what transgender was. I just felt a great sense of urgency. I'm very fortunate to be in [a] position [that] I never really thought I would be. It's really important to take advantage of a time like this."
Quinlivan, who transitioned when she was 16, did share some of her anxieties about revealing her trans identity. She ultimately determined that in a world still short on trans role models, it was important for her to contribute to a narrative of visibility, working toward larger acceptance:
"When I was growing up it was all Jerry Springer and Maury Povich. I was seeing this exploitation of trans women. They were made to seem like a bad joke. I felt like that was such a negative portrayal. I wasn't like the women on these TV shows, so it gave me a lot of confusion.
Hopefully my story reaches people in the same way that the stories of Laverne Cox and Janet Mock have [already] reached trans people. There are not a lot of openly trans people in media, and I think it's really important to show people that not only am I trans, I'm [also] very successful and good at what I do."
Read the whole interview here, and watch a short film about Quinlivan's story below:
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