Valentina Sampaio is Sports Illustrated’s First Transgender Swimsuit Model

Sports Illustrated’s celebrated Swimsuit Issue boasts a breakthrough this year, including 23-year-old Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio in its pages. Sampaio is the first transgender women to be featured in the annual celebration of sand, surf, and the feminine form.

In a letter posted to Sports Illustrated, Sampaio writes how honored she is to be in the groundbreaking issue, and thanks the publication for spreading “a message of love, compassion and unity for all.” She adds that Brazil, while beautiful, “hosts the highest number of violent crimes and murders against the trans community in the world—three times that of the U.S.”

The note also includes two photos, shot on Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands.

On her “Meet the Rookies” page, a short video shows some behind-the-scenes moments of the shoot. “I am not just work[ing] for myself, but for everyone who feels prejudice,” she said. In a question-and-answer section the slender Sampaio confesses her love of gelato and tiramisu. (Swimsuit models, they’re just like us!)

In a 2017 interview with The New York Times timed with her appearance on the cover of French Vogue, Sampaio said that she had parents who were “always supportive and are very proud,” and that growing up her schoolmates accepted her “since they already saw me as a little girl.”

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue dates back to 1964. Famous cover models who have made multiple appearances include Elle Macpherson, Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Kathy Ireland, and Tyra Banks. Ronda Rousey was the first athlete to appear on the cover and Beyoncé Knowles was the first non-athlete/non-model.

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