Meet Playboy’s First Transgender Playmate

The upcoming November/December 2017 issue of Playboy is making history for two reasons.

First, the issue will feature the first man ever to appear on the cover without a woman, in a tribute to Hugh Hefner. Second, the magazine will feature the first openly transgender Playmate with a pictorial and centerfold.

Rau Ines, a 26-year-old French fashion model, is featured in the Playboy issue posing in a white bra and matching lace panties.

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In the accompanying interview, Rau spoke out about the experience of posing for Playboy.

“When I was doing this shoot, I was thinking of all those hard days in my childhood, she said. “And now everything happening gives me so much joy and happiness. I thought, ‘Am I really going to be a Playmate – me?’ It’s the most beautiful compliment I’ve ever received. It’s like getting a giant bouquet of roses.”

Ines, who has been featured in high-fashion runways and appeared in Vogue Italia, explained how coming out was a difficult process for her.

“I lived a long time without saying I was transgender,” she said. “I dated a lot and almost forgot. I was scared of never finding a boyfriend and being seen as weird. Then I was like, ‘You know, you should just be who you are.’ It’s a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it’s your gender, sexuality, whatever. The people who reject you aren’t worth it. It’s not about being loved by others; it’s about loving yourself.”

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“I always knew from within, when I was a little kid in my room in the ghetto, that a beautiful destiny was waiting for me,” Rau continued. “I don’t know how to explain it. A little voice was telling me, ‘You’ll see. Patience.’”