Lauren Chan Becomes First Out Lesbian To Appear Solo On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Lauren Chan just made queer history, in a bikini.
Lauren Chan just made history as the first out lesbian to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. This moment isn’t just about visibility. It’s about the power of finally being seen on your own terms.
Chan—a Canadian model, entrepreneur, and former fashion editor—has long been quietly changing the rules from the inside. She started at Glamour, then found Henning, a size-inclusive clothing brand tailored to professional women. But her most radical move? Telling the truth about herself.
In a 2023 essay for Vogue, Chan wrote about how her queerness had always lived in her body—even before she had language for it. “Looking deeply at my relationship with fashion—as a consumer, a clothing brand founder, and a model—helped me realize that my identity had always been steeped in queerness,” she wrote. The act of naming it and choosing to be public came later. As many of us know, coming out stories aren’t always celebratory. Sometimes, it’s a long, quiet unraveling of what is our truth.
While there was the glamour of being adorned in Cult Gaia and Alexis Bittar for the shoot under the Bermuda sun, it was the timing that made it even more special. Chan had just gotten engaged to her partner, Hayley Kosan.
And then there was the moment she found out she’d be on the cover. “I’m the first out lesbian on the cover–with her own cover. And how much that means to me makes that surprise feel so overwhelming,” she said. Watch Chan’s reaction to the video here.
What makes this moment matter isn’t just who’s on the cover—it’s how she got there: fully herself, no edits, no bending to fit a mold. This is a win for all of us.
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