Leyna Bloom is an American actress, model, dancer, and activist. In October 2017, Bloom became the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India. In May 2019, her feature film debut in Port Authority at the Cannes Film Festival was the first time a trans woman of color was in a leading role of a movie feature at a major film festival.
Early life
Bloom's father supported her decision to transition.
Ball culture
Well respected in ball culture, Bloom is the New York City mother of the house of Miyake-Mugler in the mainstream scene and is known in the ballroom community as the “Polynesian Princess,” having made an international name for herself walking the category of face.
Modeling
In 2014, Bloom appeared in a C☆NDY Magazine cover feature on prominent trans women. Bloom was not open about being transgender before that photo shoot. She decided to come out as she felt liberated sharing a major magazine cover with 13 other trans women. As one of few openly transgender models working in the industry, in September 2017, Bloom made news for walking the runway for the Chromat label during New York Fashion Week. In October 2017, Bloom became the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India. On April 9, 2018, she launched a viral campaign on Twitter to be cast as the first trans woman to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She gained international attention from her viral campaign advocating for the inclusion of all body types on the sexy runway. Bloom's viral campaign encouraged the news media and young women of her generation to question and challenge Victoria's Secret on their lack of inclusiveness. Because of Leyna Bloom's comments and the reaction of other models, Victoria Secret's casting direction has been criticised by professionals and fashion journalists. Later that year, Leyna Bloom was cast as one of the faces of the H&M x Moschino by Jeremy Scott Fall/Winter 2018 international campaign shot by the legendary fashion photographerSteven Meisel. H&M, the world's biggest fashion retailer, featured Bloom in their campaign images and videos, which were displayed at thousands of stores around the world as well as launched on international billboards and TV spots and advertised in global fashion magazines and newspapers.She starred in the campaign with Gigi Hadid, Stella Maxwell, Soo Joo Park, Imaan Hammam, and Yasmin Wijnaldum. Glamour named Leyna Bloom as one of "6 Women Who Are Shaping the Future of Fashion” in the October 2018 issue. In March 2019, Leyna Bloom was the only transgender woman of color to walk Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2019 at the Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya fashion show in an all black cast.
Film career
In October 2018, Deadline Hollywood announced that newcomer Leyna Bloom will star opposite Fionn Whitehead in Danielle Lessovitz's first feature film Port Authority, which is backed by executive producer Martin Scorsese. Port Authority tells a love story that begins at the New York City transportation center and dives into the kiki ballroom scene. On April 18, 2019, the 2019 Cannes Film Festival announced that Port Authority will compete in the Un Certain Regard competition. It was the first film in the festival’s 72-year history to feature a trans woman of color in a leading role.
