Lea T | Transgender Woman

Leandra Cerezo, also known as Lea T, is a professional Brazilian-born transgender fashion model. She’s been referred to as the “muse” of Riccardo Tisci, who’s the chief creative officer of the British luxury brand Burberry. Interestingly, the “T” in her professional last name stands for Tisci. Furthermore, Lea is the face of many brands, including the American hair-care brand Redken. She’s undoubtedly an icon in pop culture and, most importantly, in the transgender advocacy of the LGBT community.

Lea underwent gender reassignment surgery back in March 2012 in Thailand. According to Lea, she had negative feelings about the surgery at first, but two weeks later, she remarked that she was satisfied with the results. Since then, she’s moved on to be one of the most influential icons in the world. Interestingly, Lea was on the list of BBC’s 100 Women announced for 2020. It certainly garnered criticism from many people, but it marked a new day for the fight in raising awareness against the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community to Lea’s credit.