One of the first transgender male models to feature in a US national campaign, Laith Ashley has been photographed by Bruce Weber and walked the runway in New York Fashion Week. He tells all to Paris Lees...
Photography: Leonardo Corredor / styling: joseph kocharian
“IF I go into the men’s room, no one is going to try and stop me,” says Laith Ashley when I ask him about North Carolina’s recent transphobic toilet laws. Why would they? The trailblazing trans model has what’s known as passing privilege so he’s perceived as male despite being born with female genitalia. He also has bags of “beauty privilege”, as you can see for yourself in his gorgeous photo shoot for us. Laith is the first transgender man to grace the cover of Attitude in our 22-year history. He’s breaking boundaries and looking good in the process. But while he went down a storm at New York Fashion Week in February, he still struggles for acceptance, as many of us do.