From Past to Present: Transgender Icons That Have Shaped History

7. Jackie Curtis

Born John Curtis Holder Jr., Jackie Curtis was, above anything else, an artist. She was also another one of Andy Warhol’s star performers, happy to get on stage and perform freely. Curtis was active on the theater circuit, performing in the Bastianos Theater, Pyramid, as well as a few other theaters around Manhattan.

The actress was praised for depicting powerful female roles that would transcend all stereotypes. However, that wasn’t her only talent. In later years Jackie Curtis went on to establish herself as a distinguished writer and poet and published a number of her pieces. Curtis sadly died in 1985 after a long battle with substance abuse.