Art of Transliness

10 Awesome People (Who Happen to be Trans*Masculine)

Recently an article has been circulating tumblr and the internet entitled “10 Handsome Men (Who Were Born Female).” While seeing a list of accomplished and successful trans* men is important, this list focuses heavily on the bodies of the individuals they list, as well as their birth names and female history. As an alternative, here are 10 awesome, successful trans* people on the transmasculine end of the spectrum, listed in no particular order, who have done some pretty cool things. As a side note, they are pretty handsome too! 

1. Dean Spade: professor, writer, and founder of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. The Sylvia Rivera Law Project works to “guarantee that all people are free to self-determinate gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.” It provides free legal representation to trans*/gender variant individuals and people of color, training about transgender legal issues, and policy work to fight for legal rights and equal access for trans* and gender variant people. 

2. Matt Kailey: author of Just Add Hormones and the tranifesto blog. Every Monday he gives in-depth answers to questions on a variety of issues surrounding gender, providing advice. He is also a speaker and trainer on transgender issues. He transitioned in the late 90’s when he was 42, and so has more than a decade on testosterone and plenty of valuable life experience to share. 

3. Asher Kolieboi: co-founder of Legalize Trans* (with Brian Gerald Murphy). Legalize Trans* is “an artistic and educational campaign intended to create dialogue and draw attention to the lack of inclusivity within the popular American Apparel ‘Legalize Gay’ campaign,” and has become a symbol of affirmation and support within the trans* community. 

4. Ryan Sallans: author of the upcoming book Second Son, public speaker, activist, and LGBTQ healthcare consultant. Through his speaking engagements and media appearances he has worked to educate people about trans* and gender issues, and to improve the healthcare system to be more trans* friendly. 

5. Kit Yan: Spoken word/slam poet, perhaps best known around this blog as the poet behind “How Big is Your Strap-On.” Kit Yan “…tells stories through slam poetry from the lens of a queer and transgender Asian American from Hawaii who travels all over the world on tour.” His poetry often focuses on gender and sexuality. 

6. Amos Mac: photographer as well as editor-and-chief and co-founder of Original Plumbing Magazine. OP is the first and only print magazine by and for trans men, it seeks to “document the diversity within trans male lifestyles through photographic portraits, essays, personal narratives and interviews.” As a photographer, Amos has lovingly documented queer culture and trans* bodies. 

7. Rocco Kayiatos: writer, rapper, poet, and editor and co-founder of Original Plumbing Magazine. He has competed in poetry slams and recorded and produced hip-hop albums under the stage name Katastrophe. His album Let’s Fuck, Then Talk About My Problems won him Producer of the Year from Outmusic. He incorporates and discusses his trans* identity in his slam poems, such as the poem “Man Enough.” 

8. S. Bear Bergman: author of Butch is a Noun, The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You, and co-editor of Gender Outlaws: the Next Generation (with the lovely and badass Kate Bornstein). Ze is also a theater artist, lecturer on gender, sexuality, and culture, and an activist for the LGBTQ community. 

9. Joshua Riverdale: a web developer, founder of Transguys.com, and the blogger behind genderoutlaw. Transguys.com is the “internet magazine for transgender men,” with a mission to “empower transgender men with practical knowledge.” He is also the force behind the Trans Man Mapping Project, launched to show transgender men that they are not alone. 

10. Eli Clare: Author, activist, and lecturer, he is probably best known for his book Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation. He helped organize the first Queerness and Disability conference, has published essays and poetry on varied topics including queerness, disability, and sexual abuse, and travels all over the country as a public speaker on various topics regarding social justice. 

*None of these images belong to us, the pictures were all taken from the individual’s websites or google images