This year, Lauren Chan made history as the first lesbian model on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. In 2023, the former Glamour fashion editor was featured in the issue and on the magazine's website, where she wrote an essay about divorcing her husband and coming out as a lesbian. Now she's dating director Hayley Kosan and is living her best gay life.
“I came out at 32 years old and had to deconstruct all of the heteronormative ideologies in my mind. Anyone who has come out knows how trying that can be — especially because we are living in a time where it can feel scary to loudly declare a queer identity,” she says. “But every time I see 2SLGBTQ+ folks being celebrated (like this!) I am invigorated to continue leading with pride.”
Chan continues to model, is writing a novel, and is developing a queer-focused unscripted series. In everything she does, she tries to be the representation she needed when she was young.
“If my appearance walking a runway, on a screen, or in a magazine helps someone who has been marginalized by our industries [to] feel empowered, I’ve done my job,” she says. @lcchan
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