First Transgender Person on the cover of Time Magazine

Influential Covers: Time Magazine

In 2014 Laverne Cox was the first transgender person on the cover of Time Magazine. The cover was entitled 'The Transgender Tipping Point'. The magazine came under scrutiny as Laverne wasn't featured in Times 100 list. It was said that the media constantly disregards the hard work of the LGBT community, more so Transgender people. The controversy resulted in #Whereislavernecox being a trending topic on twitter. It was also suggested that she was not featured in Times list not just because she is transgender but also because of her colour and race. There is still much speculation around Americas acceptance of Trans people and Laverne wanted to address this. She wanted to speak out about these issues so other people in the same situation were not afraid to come forward and be who they are. Since then other magazines have featured Trans people.

Laverne Cox on the cover of Time Magazine in 2014

Vanity fair recently released an issue with Caitlyn Jenner on the cover which also addresses these issues. I chose these covers as I think they are especially iconic for our generation as before now, Transgender people were not taken seriously and it shows the progress being made into becoming a more accepting society. Its important that magazines feature a diverse range of people for their covers and since they have a wide audience it is also crucial that they are fair and are not prejudice.

Vanity Fair cover featuring Caitlyn Jenner

References 

Images.huffingtonpost.com. (2016). [online] Available at: http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-05-08-1431063643-3329506-TimeforHuffPo.jpg [Accessed 13 Mar. 2016].
Ajhcosmetics.co.uk. (2016). [online] Available at: http://www.ajhcosmetics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/caitlyn.jpg [Accessed 13 Mar. 2016].
Steinmetz, K. (2014). 
TIME Cover Story: Interview With Trans Icon Laverne Cox. [online] TIME.com. Available at: http://time.com/132769/transgender-orange-is-the-new-black-laverne-cox-interview/ [Accessed 13 Mar. 2016].