Raquel Willis

Raquel Willis was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1990 or 1991. She grew up in a Catholic family that emphasized community involvement, and her parents were Sunday school teachers. During her childhood, Willis experienced internal conflict regarding her gender and sexuality, facing bullying from peers. As a teenager, she publicly identified as gay, eventually finding acceptance from both her peers and family. Willis pursued higher education at the University of Georgia, where she continued to confront discrimination due to her gender non-conformity. It was during this period that she recognized herself as a trans woman and embarked on her transition journey. She actively collaborated with fellow students to combat discrimination based on gender identity, ultimately earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2013.

Following her graduation, Willis relocated to Atlanta, where she became engaged in activism alongside other transgender and gender non-conforming people of color. Her career advanced as she moved to Oakland, serving first as a communications associate and then as a national organizer for the Transgender Law Center. In 2017, she was a speaker at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., and was subsequently recognized by Essence for its “Woke 100 Women” list and The Root as one of their “100 Most Influential African Americans.” In December 2018, Willis achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first trans woman to lead Out magazine as its executive editor. She held the role of Director of Communications for the Ms. Foundation for Women from June 2020 to January 2021. Willis’s memoir, “The Risk It Takes To Bloom,” was published in November 2023, and she co-founded the Gender Liberation Movement (GLM) in early 2023. Her impactful work has been recognized globally, culminating in her being named a TIME Woman of the Year and one of the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2025.

Willis has consistently advocated for trans women and marginalized communities, using her platform to address social and political issues. Her writings have been featured in prominent publications including The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and Autostraddle. She has hosted “The BGD Podcast with Raquel Willis” and the 7-part podcast series “Afterlives.” She has engaged in various acts of civil disobedience to protest anti-transgender legislation and advocate for gender-affirming care, including arrests at the U.S. Capitol and the Department of Health and Human Services. In 2024, she served as a grand marshal for the NYC Pride March, further demonstrating her commitment to LGBTQ+ rights. Her contributions to literature include essays in anthologies such as “Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color.”