10 Young Black Transgender and Nonbinary Celebs Whose Careers are on the Rise

Yasmin Finney attends The Fashion Awards 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall on December 05, 2022 in London, England — Getty Images

Trans visibility has definitely been on the rise, with the popularity of shows like Pose, RuPaul’s Drag Race and The L Word Generation Q – and there are many young Black trans celebs who are paving the way for representation.

More and more transgender, nonbinary and genderqueer celebrities are landing roles in film, television and media, helping the industry more accurately portray the lives of trans folks and, more specifically, Black trans folks. This is particularly important, considering studies have shown that Black transgender and gender non-conforming people face some of the highest levels of discrimination out of all transgender people.

With stars like Kehlani, Kerri Colby and Leyna Bloom paving the way in their respective industries, more Black trans people are able to see themselves reflected on screen from a young age. Why is this important? Well, representation is essential, considering on-screen representation changes how people feel about themselves.

In fact, a study from Paramount shows that “when people feel like they aren’t represented well on screen, the effects are damaging. Six in ten people who feel their gender or sexual identity is poorly represented say this has affected their self-esteem and confidence.”

Read on to discover 10 young Black transgender celebrities whose careers are on the rise, as they lead the way for representation in 2023.

Indya Moore

Trans, non-binary actor and activist Indya Moore – known for their role as Angel Evangelista in Pose – has long been an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, and the non-binary community in particular. In fact, Moore has candidly opened up about the trauma a lot of young trans kids face growing up.

“I think that our society underplays the level of trauma that trans folks experience as kids,” Moore explained in an interview with Porter. “[Pose is] a huge mirror, a reflection for so many of us into our childhood. It was anxiety-inducing in some ways, but it was also really affirming. I think it was cathartic, because reading that script, it was like, ‘Wow, I went through this.’”

Kehlani

Following the release of their 2022 album, blue water road, Kehlani has been everywhere – out on tour, all over TikTok and even appearing in a few episodes of The L Word: Generation Q. Back in 2021, Kehlani opened up about their nonbinary identity – revealing that, while they use she/they pronouns, they find it really validating when people opt for gender neutral pronouns.

“I don’t mind when people say ‘she’ at all, but something feels really affirming when people say ‘they,’” Kehlani said in an interview with Byrdie. “It feels like… you really see me.”

Rhoyle Ivy King

Gender nonconforming queer actor Rhoyle Ivy King made history as The CW’s first Black nonbinary character. On All American: Homecoming, King plays Nathaniel, a friend that helps Simone adjust to life in Atlanta.

“It means a lot to me [to play this role],” King told Xtra in an interview. “It was something very touching when I learned about it, and I spoke to our showrunner about that. For me, it means representation. It means that there are going to be nonbinary young folks getting to see themselves represented on screen. I think that’s really important.”

Kerri Colby

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 star Kerri Colby not only represented the trans community in her season, but she even inspired co-star Jasmine to come out to her fellow competitors. While she didn’t win her season, she definitely inspired viewers to live as their truest selves, and she continues to make waves in the community.

“Just in living authentically, I was able to be an example that made things more comfortable for my sisters to either open up about their journey, find their journey or dig deeper and start to search into their journey,” Colby said in an interview with GAY TIMES.

“And that’s just the truth we needed. Trans women have been around for eons and eons, but many times in recent history, we have not been given the opportunity to speak or be spoken to correctly.”

Dua Saleh

Nonbinary musician Dua Saleh has been skyrocketing to fame since their appearance on season 3 of Sex Education. Saleh came out as nonbinary in their sophomore year of college, and now, the 25-year-old Sudan-born artist sings all about radical queer love, nonbinary royalty and intersectional identities. In fact, Saleh believes that their queer, trans identity is what sets them apart in the creative industry.

“I wouldn’t be as creative if I wasn’t non-binary, trans and queer, I don’t think… I think there’s a wealth of artistic knowledge and understanding that has historically been passed down from the generations of queerness,” Saleh said in an interview with Gay Times.

Leyna Bloom

Trailblazer Leyna Bloom is the first transgender model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2021. That famous Swimsuit edition had three covers: one of Megan Thee Stallion, who made history as the first rapper on a Sports Illustrated cover; one of tennis player Naomi Osaka, who was the first Haitian and Japanese cover model and, of course, the one of Leyna Bloom.

“This moment heals a lot of pain in the world,” Bloom wrote alongside the cover image on Instagram, according to Us Weekly. “We deserve this moment; we have waited millions of years to show up as survivors and be seen as full humans filled with wonder.”

Carmen LoBue

Another star who made their debut on The L Word: Generation Q is queer, non-binary, Afro-Pilipinx actor and filmmaker, Carmen LoBue. They made an appearance on the show as Dre, a musician who dates ex-fiancés, Dani Nùñez and Sophie Suarez.

LoBue had made a name for themselves long before that though, after getting recognized in Paper Magazine’s roundup of 100 people taking over in 2019 – plus they’ve directed a whole slew of films and shorts, including O, Ryan. O, Ryan and Pink & Blue.

Yasmin Finney

Yasmin Finney, who stars as Elle Argent in the beloved and heartwarming queer romance Heartstopper, is just at the start of her career and it’s only going up from here. It meant a lot for Finney to play a trans teenager on the show, and she opened up about bringing young trans joy to the screen in a recent interview with Pop Buzz.

“Honestly, I truly am just so blessed to be chosen to be Elle,” Finney said. “It really, really, really is such a rare story that we get a trans character that doesn’t delve into gender dysphoria, or depression, or bullying but just the positive – the friendship, the chosen family, the moving from an all boys’ school to an all girls’ school. Just everything that is natural about being trans is highlighted, and I’m just so happy to be that positive representation that we’ve needed for so many years.”

Eva Reign

While Eva Reign may have been made famous for her role of Kelsa in Amazon Prime’s coming-of-age rom com, Anything’s Possible, her name has long been around, as she was a writer and journalist prior to her film debut. In fact, Reign had had her writing featured in Vogue, Them, PAPER and more.

“When I was younger, I would have loved to have seen someone like Kelsa,” Reign told Entertainment Weekly of her role in Billy Porter’s directorial debut. “That would have made me feel so much more seen. It would have helped me.”

Zaya Wade

NBA player Dwyane Wade’s 15-year-old daughter, Zaya Wade, came out as trans in 2019, paving the way for representation in the industry. After she came out, Dwyane made an appearance on The Today Show, as Seventeen reports, where he revealed that being her dad helped him grow as a person.

“I didn’t know anything, really wasn’t knowledgeable about the LGBTQ+ community,” Dwyane explained. “What it has done is it opened my eyes and my ears to something greater and bigger than I, and my daughter has allowed us gracefully to be her support system. She’s the strong one in this family. She’s a hero.”