Leyna Bloom makes history as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's first transgender cover model

Leyna Bloom has become the first transgender cover star for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The 27-year-old model and actress made her Sports Illustrated debut on Monday, calling the cover a "powerful" moment that she dedicated to the ballroom queens of past, present and future. 

"This moment heals a lot of pain in the world," Bloom said in an Instagram post on Monday. "We deserve this moment; we have waited millions of years to show up as survivors and be seen as full humans filled with wonder." "I have dreamt a million beautiful dreams, but for girls like me, most dreams are just fanciful hopes in a world that often erases and omits our history and even existence. This moment is so powerful because it allows me to live forever even after my physical form is gone. Not a lot of people get to live in the future, so at this moment, I'm proudly choosing to live forever."