There’s a trans only modelling agency in L.A

By Heaps Gay Staff

TIME MAGAZINE RECENTLY DECLARED A “Transgender tipping point”. Caitlyn Jenner has brought trans women into the mainstream. Australia even has some exciting young transgender activists.

And now, it seems, transgender people are making a dent in perhaps the most difficult industry to crack for anybody that doesn’t adhere to overly rigorous and narrow standards of beauty: fashion.

Apple Model Management, an agency from Thailand, has opened an office in Los Angeles.

“We see trans individuals as beautiful [and] our strong commitment to developing them as successful models is never about quantifying or qualifying their gender,” said Cecilio Asuncion, the agency’s director.

Asuncion went on to say that trans models have, as yet, been unable to make a big enough impact because of stigma about their gender and sexuality.

“This has to change,” he demanded.

Transgender models have, to be fair, started to make an impact in fashion – see Australian model Andreja Pejic, for example.

Okay, Aussie fashion industry: where you at?