Sports Illustrated features trans woman Kim Petras on Swimsuit issue cover
Heather Hamilton
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Sports Illustrated is featuring Kim Petras, a biological man who identifies as a woman, as part of its Swimsuit edition.
Petras, a transgender pop star, is shown wearing a series of swimsuits and bikinis as part of the magazine’s campaign to empower women that launched this week.
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“The Coconuts singer is a true change-maker who uses her platform to uplift and inspire the LGBTQ+ community,” Sports Illustrated said of Petras’s Swimsuit feature.
Earlier this year, Petras, who was born in Germany, became the first transgender female to win a Grammy Award for best pop duo/group performance in recognition of her collaboration with Sam Smith on “Unholy.”
“While she’s proud that the trans community is inspired by her work, she uses her platform to encourage others to reach for the stars, regardless of gender or sexuality,” the magazine also said.
In response, many have taken to social media to blast Petras’s Swimsuit cover feature.
“I’m old enough to remember when men thought @SI_Swimsuit models were hot…maybe because the cover models weren’t dudes with boobs,” a Twitter user posted, including past Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover photos.
“Why do you all hate women?” another Twitter user commented.
Another user pointed to the marketing debacle facing Anheuser-Busch after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, saying: “There’s literally no market for this. What on earth are you people thinking? I hope what’s happened to Anheuser-Busch happens to you.”
Last year, Sports Illustrated featured Japanese-Dutch plus-size model Yumi Nu, drawing criticism from controversial author and former psychology professor Jordan Peterson.
Peterson called the magazine cover photo of Nu “not beautiful” and faced backlash, causing him to walk away from his Twitter account.
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Petras, who was photographed by You Tsai in Los Angeles, joined Martha Stewart, Megan Fox, and Brooks Nader as part of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue’s featured lineup, which hits the stands on May 18.
In 2020, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue featured its first transgender female with Brazilian-born model Valentina Sampaio.