Lea T., Transsexual Model, Talks Sex Change & The Night She Found Herself

Lea T., the star of Givenchy's autumn/winter ad campaign, recently opened up to several magazines and newspapers about being a transsexual supermodel, even posing nude in French Vogue "in the name of all my transsexual friends" (NSFW photos here). The Guardian UK traced Lea's rise to the top, from her birth as Leandro in 1981 in Belo Horizonte Brazil to soccer hero Toninho Cerezo and a Catholic family to becoming Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy's muse.

According to the Guardian a Rio gossip column contacted Cerezo and reported, "We got in touch with the former star but, irritated, he limited himself to saying that he had four children, one of them called Leandro...When asked if the boy had starred in the Givenchy campaign, Cerezo hung up the phone." However, Lea's brother Gustavo said, "It's Lea's success, not the family's. All I will say is that we are on her side and we support her."

The Guardian also reports that:

In the Vanity Fair interview, moreover, [Lea] said she "never spoke directly" to her father about undergoing the hormone treatment that will, eventually, give her the body of a woman. Conversation, she said, was limited to trivialities.

Lea has credited Tisci with her ability to be comfortable with herself. She remembered for French Vogue, "One night [Tisci] encouraged me to wear pumps to a party. We went shopping for 'drag queen' shoes and we bleached my eyebrows. It was a revelation."

ABC News reports that Lea is set to undergo a full sex change from male to female and is currently undergoing hormone replacement therapy. Lea told June's Italian Vanity Fair, "The choice is between being unhappy forever or trying to be happy."

Comments

[G Bikin]

10:34 AM on 08/07/2010

Yes, I agree that she is stunning. As far as the confusion of which model is the transsexual, it does appear that the model pointed to by the yellow arrow is probably Lea. My reasoning is that while female hormones can change muscle size and fat distribution, enlarge breasts and define waists, it cannot alter bone structure. The model at the end of the arrow has a prominent eyebrow ridge, some wide sharp jaw characteristics, and finger lengths differentials that are more characteristic of males than females. True, plastic surgery to alter bone structure of the face and jaw can be done to hide these marks of a masculine past, but they do not appear to have been done by Lea at this time.

[Niasia]

11:35 AM on 08/05/2010

I think she looks great! Kudos to her.

[educatedvagabond]

12:12 PM on 08/05/2010

I agree! She is stunning.

[kittenboots]

06:49 PM on 08/04/2010

I have to say that as I sit here at my desk at work, I'm nearly in tears thinking of the day when transgendered men and women will be treated in general as just human beings. Many of the very sensitive and very thoughtful and compassionate comments here lead me to believe that we're one day closer to realizing that level of acceptance and understanding and that makes me very happy.

[vonric]

07:13 AM on 08/04/2010

I have profound respect for anyone dealing with this complex issue. I remember meeting the first identified transgendered woman, a striking beauty.... truly stunning. As I got to know her (I was dating her cousin) I learned of her story, her struggle with her family, the shock to some of her friends and her decision to move forward.

[kittenboots]

06:47 PM on 08/03/2010

Kudos to you Lea. You make a stealth post-op girl think about fighting that good fight right along with you. Granted, I do know about the relationship difficulties because I don't keep my past from my partners because I want them to know who they're loving. It can be a shock for a guy to think that the woman he loves wasn't born female and it can take a minute to come to terms with but you will find love because you are boldy and bravely living your truth. Wonderful things will come to you and I applaud your courage and determination.

[robjh1]

04:58 PM on 08/03/2010

Key word model.

[Hooty owl]

04:40 PM on 08/03/2010

Not only a big huzzah for Lea T, but Givenchy for giving her half the chance. This is a huge step towards understanding, and probably long overdue (I mean, think about it, we've been toting androgynous models for years. This seems like a logical step.)

[Katherine Owen Bell]

03:11 PM on 08/03/2010

Please correct me if I am wrong but I think the arrow is pointing towards the wrong model.

[Katherine Owen Bell]

03:10 PM on 08/03/2010

Please Correct me if I'm wrong but I think they're pointing at the wrong model in the photo.

[deluk]

05:26 PM on 08/03/2010

Yes, that's been Lea's problem all along.

[politicali]

01:55 AM on 08/04/2010

This is really her. I've seen pictures of her in brazilian sites. This is the Vogue photo:
http://www.terra.com.br/istoegente/edicoes/568/artigo179957-1.htm

[complice]

02:57 PM on 08/03/2010

"The choice is between being unhappy forever or trying to be happy."

Good for her. Gender identity disorder/gender dysphoria is something most of us can't even begin to fathom, as evidenced by the above quote.

I'm sure this thread will bring the usual stream of childish, transphobic remarks, but it takes thick skin to flout traditional gender norms and live in accordance with one's truth.

[Nichole Ward Hohn]

07:00 PM on 08/03/2010

I second that!