Laverne Cox is mostly known for her role on the Netflix prison drama "Orange Is The New Black." She plays transgender inmate Sophia Burset and was the first openly transgender person to earn an Emmy nomination.
Cox, 30, got her big break as the first transgender contestant on Sean "Diddy" Combs' reality show "I Want To Work For Diddy." She has also appeared on "Law & Order."
She made history by becoming the first transgender individual to make the cover of Time magazine in May, 2014.
She said of the honor: "I realize this is way bigger than me and about a tipping point in our nation's history where it is no longer acceptable for trans lives to be stigmatized, ridiculed, criminalized and disregarded.
"This is for my trans siblings out there and for anyone who has ever been told that who you know yourself to be at your core is not legitimate. You are who you know yourselves to be."
Before Laverne Cox, there was actress Candis Cayne -- the first trangsender actress to play a recurring transgender character in prime time in the ABC series "Dirty Sexy Money." She played a trans woman who had an affair with a married New York attorney (William Baldwin) from 2007-08.
Cayne told the "Today" show in 2007: "You know, when I started my transition 10 years ago, I kind of came to realization that I probably wouldn't work anymore, which was really heartbreaking for me because it's my passion and I love it. But there were things that were important to me that I needed to finish and fulfill in my life."
In the early 1990s, Cayne was a drag performer. She began her transition to become a woman in 1996.
Cayne has also appeared in "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar," "Mob Queen," and "Starrbooty." She has also been a judge in "RuPaul's Drag U."
Chaz Bono was born Chastity Sun Bono and was the only child born to entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher. Bono began his gender transition from female to male in 2009, and his legal transition was completed the following year.
During TV special "Becoming Chaz," Bono, 46, revealed he had become an addict after the cancer death of his lesbian lover and he wanted to end his existence as a woman.
Bono recalled, "I thought about faking my own death just so I could do this (become a man) and no one would know. (My family) would know (about the gender reassignment surgery) but the public wouldn't."
He later went on to compete on "Dancing With The Stars" and became a spokesperson for the transgender community.
In May, 2012, Against Me! rocker Tom Gabel revealed he dealt with gender dysphoria privately for years and was transitioning to become a woman named Laura Jane Grace.
At the time of his disclosure, he planned to remain married to wife Heather. Gabel explained, "For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news. But she's been super-amazing and understanding."
One year after living as a woman, Grace, 34, told Cosmopolitan in 2013: "During our shows this year, I was surprised by how many fans stuck by my band and how many came up to offer their support afterward. I met trans men and women from all walks of life, all at various points in their journeys.
"Many said I was an inspiration to them, but they are an inspiration to me. I had questions about transitioning, and my new friends were more than happy to share their tips! I don't know a single other person who is trans where I live. But now I feel lucky to have friends around the world who share in the experience. Growing up, I never had a role model to show me that you can be trans and live a happy life. I hope that I can be that source of hope for someone out there who's struggling."
Born Robert Arquette, Alexis Arquette grew up in an acting family alongside sisters Rosanna and Patricia and brother David. She appeared appeared in a groundbreaking same-sex marriage episode of "Roseanne" and won an Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film from Outfest for her work as a gay painter searching for inspiration in the indie "Never Met Picasso."
Arquette, 45, has played a gay soap opera writer who reunites with college chums in the genial "I Think I Do" and appeared as Adam Sandler's Boy George-inspired bandmate in "The Wedding Singer."
In 2007, she detailed her transgender journey in the documentary "Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother", which also featured her friends and family.
She told Out magazine in January, 2015: "I’m tired of the representation of trans people. It’s not black and white. There are so many gradations. I’m annoyed with people affiliating gender with sexuality exclusively. People want answers. “Oh, I was gay since birth.” I don’t have the answers."
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