Although Laith Ashley De La Cruz came out as gay at age 17, he came out as trans at age 19, after watching videos made by transgender people on YouTube. He has since become quite possibly the only out trans male Hispanic model ever to appear in mainstream US media.

“When I was a kid, I’d always wanted to be a performer, singer, dancer — but as a guy,” he said in a 2016 interview. “But then, I didn’t think it was possible. I did what my parents said: went to college, got a 9-to-5 job… and people would always tell me, ‘You should model!'”