Glamour names nine trans activists as ‘Women of the Year’ – including a model who was fired by L’Oreal for calling ‘all white people racist’

Glamour Magazine has named nine transgender activists as their Women of the Year.

The honourees include a mix of relatively unknown models, actors and musicians, with the most famous face being Munroe Bergdorf – a controversial activist who once branded ‘all white people racist’ and said that the Suffragettes were ‘white supremacists’.

Last year she was named the first ‘UK champion’ for UN Women UK and was previously the first ever trans woman to model for L’Oreal.

However, she was fired by the beauty giant in 2017 for her inflammatory remarks on race.

The activist, who is also a broadcaster and contributing editor at British Vogue, faced a backlash over her online post responding to the violence of white supremacists in Charlottesville, in which she said all white people were racist.

She was also forced to apologise after old social media messages emerged in which she labelled a Twitter follower a ‘hairy barren lesbian’ in 2012 and said she wanted to ‘gay bash’ a TV star.

Also on the list is Shon Faye, an author, Bel Priestly, who is currently starring in Netflix’s Heartstopper and singer Mya Mehmi.

Maxine Heron and Dani St James, who work for trans charity Not A Phase, and models Ceval Omar, Taira and Munya complete the list.

The women all model a ‘Protect the Dolls’ T-shirt, on the cover of the magazine. 

The phrase ‘doll’ is commonly used in the queer community in reference to transgender women. 

The T-shirt – which has been worn by celebrities including Pedro Pascal and  Tilda Swinton –  was created by American fashion designer Conner Ives. All proceeds generated from the sale of it would go to Trans Lifeline charity.    

Munroe Bergdorf

Munroe Bergdorf, 38, is the ‘UK champion’ for UN Women UK and a prominent activist and influencer. 

She became the first transgender woman to represent the UK for L’Oréal, but was fired after calling ‘all white people racist’. 

In her outburst about the violence at Charlottesville, Ms Bergdorf wrote: ‘Honestly, I don’t have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes, all white people.

‘Because most of y’all don’t even realise or refuse to acknowledge that your existence, privilege and success as a race is built on the backs, blood and death of people of colour. Your entire existence is drenched in racism.’

She had been the first trans woman to appear in a L’Oreal Paris UK campaign when she was cast as part of a diversity initiative. But her online diatribe led to her being dropped by the company, which terminated her contract after claiming she was at odds with their values of ‘diversity’ and ‘tolerance’.

Following her dismissal, the furious model turned on Fight For This Love hitmaker, Cheryl, who was a fellow ambassador with the cosmetic giant.

Ms Bergdorf fumed she should not be fired given the fact her co-star was not sacked for her 2003 row with a toilet attendant, which was alleged to be racially aggravated at the time yet the charge was completely dismissed in court.

Following the row, she spoke to BBC where she said ‘she shouldn’t be sacked for calling out racism when Cheryl was convicted of actively punching a black woman in the face’ – in reference to Cheryl’s court case 22 years ago.

Her exact words were: ‘I shouldn’t be sacked for calling out racism when I was in a campaign that was meant to be championing diversity.

‘Especially when I was speaking about the violence of white people, but they’ve got Cheryl Cole on the campaign and she was actively convicted for punching a black women in the face.’

Cheryl was convicted for assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), where she was sentenced to 120 hours unpaid community service. However, allegations the fight was racially motivated were thrown out in court.

A representative for Cheryl told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘More than 14 years ago Cheryl was unanimously acquitted of a charge of racially aggravated assault. She is disappointed to find her name involved in Munroe Bergdorf’s media interview.’

Five months after the controversy and Ms Bergdorf was appointed as a Labour Party advisor, enlisted to help Dawn Butler, the party’s women and equalities secretary, with issues relating to the LBGT+ community

But the appointment sparked widespread condemnation and led to her resigning from the post just nine days later.

In a statement posted on X – announcing her resignation, she said: ‘It is with great sadness that I have decided to step down from the position.’

She said she has been forced to quit because of the ‘endless attacks on my character’ since news of her appointment broke.

She added: ‘I will not allow myself to be centred in this negative narrative, and more importantly I don’t want to stand in the way of the board serving as a positive catalyst for change within the UK’s LGBT communities.’

Ms Bergdorf has worked as a DJ, is trans activist and model.

She began living as a woman at the age of 18 but was prescribed hormones by a doctor in 2014.

She also branded the suffragettes ‘white supremacists’ in a tweet posted in March 2018, during the centenary celebrations of women’s right to vote.

Her brief stint with the brand ended after the British model wrote about racism and white supremacy online.

She wrote: ‘FYI – The Suffragettes were white supremacists who were fighting for WHITE women’s rights – they specifically left black women out of the movement.

‘It is not 100 years since women got the vote it’s 100 years since WHITE women got the vote. Black women couldn’t vote until MUCH later.’

And she has also attacked homosexual Conservatives, writing online: ‘Gay male Tories are a special kind of d**khead. It’s actually quite astonishing.’

Ms Bergdorf was appointed as UN Women UK Champion in November. The role aims to support the work to improve the lives of women and girls, in November.

She has continued to model and speak out about trans issues, publishing her book Transitional in 2023. 

In July 2019, Bergdorf was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton in recognition of her campaigning for transgender rights. 

She told Glamour that although the fashion industry is more diverse than other fields, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.

She said: ‘I think the fashion industry is still much more diverse than many other industries. I always say that fashion is a window into a world that doesn’t necessarily exist yet, so we often have conversations that aren’t being had in other industries.’

Bergdorf was quick to add that she didn’t want trans models to be considered a ‘flash in the pan’. 

Bell Priestly 

Bell Priestly, 22, is a trans actress and TikTok creator with 1.4million on social media.

She first began making videos online when she was a teenager, opening up to viewers about her struggles as a young trans girl, as well as sharing amusing clips about her dating life among other things.

More recently, she has branched out into acting, picking up her first major acting role in the Netflix teen-comedy series, Heartstopper, where she played character Naomi Russell.

Despite success in her career, Bell has faced a challenging year. 

Speaking to the publication, she said: ‘It has been hard and hate has really increased. I think people just don’t respect you as much when you’re a trans woman in the media.’

She said transphobia in the public sphere is generally ‘accepted’ and rarely ‘called out’, blaming the Supreme Court Ruling in April for the change in attitude.

Asked what she hoped would change for the lives of trans women, she said she hoped that the stigma surrounding friendships and romantic relationships would end.

Maxine Heron

Maxine, 29, is a communications officer for Not A Phase, a charity helping trans people in the UK. 

The London-based campaigner has been at the forefront of the charity, which champions trans lives across the UK.

Speaking to Glamour, she said that she sometimes regrets coming out and wonders if her life would’ve been easier had she continued in ‘stealth’ mode, where trans people live without disclosing their transition. 

She also admitted that she has experienced more trolling since joining the ‘front lines’ of the trans rights movement – but said that when she goes home she’s at peace because she’s comfortable in her own body.

Dani St James 

Dani St James, 33, from South Wales, is the founder of Not A Phase, a charity for transgender adults in the UK.

Dani, who came out as transgender in her teens, says that optimism and joy underpins all her work.

Speaking to Glamour, she said that trans sisterhood is behind everything that she does, advising others to also ‘grab onto each other’ through the difficult times ahead.

Dani, moved to London in 2012, and the following year starred in the 2013 Miss Diamond Beauty Contest.

Not A Phase aims to improve the lives of transgender adults in the UK through raising awareness and social projects.

It is also home to Misfits, a fitness and self-defence programme, focusing on breaking down the barriers between the transgender community and ‘traditional gym spaces’.

Taira

Taira, 29,  from Hokkaido, Japan, has stormed the runways of Prada and Moschino and graced the covers of Vogue and Harpers Bazaar and can now add a new accolade to their trophy cabinet.

Speaking about what the fight for trans rights meant for them, Taira said they wanted people to understand the history of the term ‘Protect the Dolls’ and not use use it to objectify trans bodies.

They said: ‘It’s a powerful punchy line to raise awareness, but the further it travels outwards towards people who are not familiar with the term’s empowering lineage suddenly it can feel a bit othering in and of itself, rather than true, integrated acceptance.’ 

Despite that, the model added they hoped the tension and scapegoating around the small minority to dissipate and hoped that society was evolving to become more accepting. 

Mya Mehmi 

Mya Mehmi is a London-based DJ and musician striving to improve trans-positive spaces in nightlife.

And having performed at a slew of major festivals, including Glastonbury and London’s All Points East, she’s well on her way to improving the space.

Mya, of Punjabi heritage, moved to the capital from Leicester, where she was raised, and is now putting her stamp on the London clubbing scene through her work as a party promoter.

When the musician accepted the title as one of Glamour’s Dolls, hailing her as one of her community’s most groundbreaking voices, she told the magazine of the changes required of society to help trans women.

Mya explained that she wants trans women to stop merely being just a talking point for podcasts and talk shows and start seeing real-life change, such as better access to healthcare.

Munya 

Munya, 25, is a London-based model who was born in Zimbabwe before moving to Hull, aged 10,  which she described as ‘challenging to say the least’.

In a GoFundMe post aimed at raising money for Munya’s transition, she recalled overcoming many ‘obstacles’ in her teenage years, including ‘racism and domestic abuse’.

She first began modelling while studying at university and there discovered a ‘newfound confidence’ after a challenging childhood.

Now working in the industry full-time, Munya has said fashion ‘unleashes creativity’ allowing her to ‘present myself in the way I am.’

Reflecting on her ascent into modelling, she told Glamour that her recent success in the industry was ‘bitter sweet’.

On one hand, she feels she is supported by those in the community, but said the ‘agenda against trans women’ reflected bigger ‘injustices in the world’, making it hard sometimes hard to fit into the industry.

 

Ceval Omar 

Ceval Omar was working as a model scout in Norway before her agency, Heartbreak model management, realised her potential as a model herself.

In the time since, the Somali-Norwegian star has relocated to Paris and gone on to secure a slew of modelling campaigns that most can only dream of, including for British Vogue and Charlotte Tilbury.

Ceval celebrates the ways in which she differs from traditional beauty norms and is widely recognised for bringing positive change to the famously myopic industry.

Alongside her work in front of the camera, Ceval works with the East African foundation to provide resources, including clean water, electricity, and internet, to remote villages in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, Dazed reported.

Her positivity shone through when accepting Glamour’s title, and she spoke of her community’s strength and joy.

Shon Faye

Shon Faye, 37, is an English writer, editor and journalist, who is the author of The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice and the host of the podcast Call Me Mother .

Faye, a former editor-at-large at Dazed magazine, not only interviewed her fellow activists but also used the opportunity to advocate for trans women.

She said: ‘Now, trans people – and especially trans women – are facing a committed attempt from anti-trans pressure groups and right-wing politicians to make exclusionary policy the default across British public life including toilets, changing rooms, leisure facilities, workplaces, hospital wards and crisis support services.

‘The intention is clear: to drive us out of public life to repress, then deny our existence.’