Out100: Candis Cayne

Photography by Ryan Pfluger in Marina del Rey, Calif., on October 1, 2015. Styling by Michael Cook. Hair AND Makeup: Harper at Exclusive Artists Management. dress by Elie tahari available at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Trans actress Candis Cayne made history with her recurring role on ABC's 2007 series Dirty Sexy Money. But being a trailblazer isn't easy, and on E!'s I Am Cait, Cayne expressed some vulnerability, the flip side to her glamorous, proud persona. "I have always put on airs, because it's part of my stage act, and it's part of being the first trans woman on a network television show," she says. "I had to represent our community. There couldn't be a loose brick in this wall! So it was cathartic for me to talk about the problems I've had being in this industry, and the misogyny in our gay community against trans women." Cayne says the enormous outpouring of goodwill and amplified trans visibility due to I Am Cait -- on which Cayne has been a confidante and guide to Caitlyn Jenner -- have been incredible. "I know it's changing the world," she says. "I've always been fighting a gale force storm pushing against my chest. For the first time in my life, especially in my industry, I feel like the wind is at my back. Everything is opening up for us now."

SLIDESHOW | Out100 2015