Geena Rocero
Geena Rocero | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 or 1984 (age 40–41)[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Founder, Model, Advocate |
| Years active | 2002 to present |
| Organization | Gender Proud |
Geena Rocero is a transgender model and advocate.
She is the founder of Gender Proud, an advocacy and aid organization that stands up for the right of transgender people all over the world to "self-identify with the fewest possible barriers".[2]
Early life
Geena Rocero was born in Manila, Philippines to a working-class family, and started competing in beauty pageants at age 15.[3][4]
Rocero was 17 at the time she immigrated to San Francisco, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006.[5]
Career
Rocero was discovered by a fashion photographer in a restaurant at the Lower East Side, New York City, when she was aged 21. She was then signed to top agency NEXT Model Management, and spent 12 years modeling for international swimsuit and beauty editorials, earning herself a large fan base.[6]
Activism
On March 31, 2014, in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Geena came out as transgender while giving a TED talk.[7]
In 2014, Geena launched Gender Proud, "an advocacy & awareness campaign that aims to advance the rights of all transgender individuals."[4]
References
- ^ Davis, Allison P. (April 3, 2014). "Transgender Model Geena Rocero on Her TED Talk". New York. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ Gender Proud on Change.org "Gender Proud"
- ^ Rocero, Geena (March 31, 2014). "Model: Why I came out as transgender". CNN. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Gender Proud envisions a world" Cite error: The named reference "genderproud" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Geena Rocero, Transgender Model And Advocate, Recalls Being Detained Because Of Conflicting ID". The Huffington Post. April 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Transgender Model Geena Rocero Gives Inspiring TED Talk About Coming Out"
- ^ "Geena Rocero’s TED talks"