Yasmin Finney’s Revolutionary Ascent On Screen And Beyond
At WorldPride in D.C., Yasmin Finney called trans existence a miracle—and she’s proving it every day through joy, truth, and undeniable talent.
At just 21, Yasmin Finney has become one of the most visible and vital faces of a new generation—queer, trans, BIPOC brilliance—and completely uninterested in performing anything other than the truth.
Born in Manchester in 2003, her first stages were small—local theaters, school productions, and university spaces like the Royal Exchange and Sackville Theatre. But her reach was anything but. She began documenting her experiences as a young trans woman on TikTok and built her massive following through her honesty and sense of humor. Her voice resonated with those who rarely saw themselves in the spotlight this way.
Related: WorldPride DC 2025
In 2021, she answered an open casting call for Heartstopper (Netflix’s popular queer teen series) and was cast as Elle Argent, a soft-spoken, self-assured trans girl who navigates friendships, crushes, and the trials of adolescence. In a media landscape still learning how to tell trans stories, Heartstopper stands out by not making Elle’s transness the central conflict. She was allowed to just be a friend, a crush, a girl navigating the complexities of growing up. For her performance, Finney earned a 2022 Children’s & Family Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance.
And from that point, her career continued to blossom.
In 2022, the BBC confirmed that Finney would be joining the Doctor Who universe for its 60th anniversary specials, playing a character named Rose Noble. A trans actor embedded in the core cast of one of the U.K.’s most beloved series was both a milestone and a statement about the direction storytelling needs to go.
Finney’s rising profile brought a wave of success: she was named to GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 list, received the Soho House Breakthrough Actress award, was honored as an “On-Screen Trailblazer” at the Gay Times Honours, and earned the Emerging Talent in Drama award at the Rose d’Or Awards. She’s also appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK as a guest judge, starred in the short film Mars (2022), and was cast by Billy Porter for his feature What If? (although visa issues prevented her participation.)
📹 Yasmin Finney speaking at WorldPride in Washington DC (June 6th)
— yasmin finney updates (@yazupdates) June 7, 2025
“When you see any trans person, know that you are witnessing a miracle. Not because we are broken, but because we refuse to be.”
🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/cfBwPEdnGR
But her greatest impact lies beyond the screen. For World Pride in D.C. this past weekend, she gave a moving speech that included, ”When you see me, when you see any trans person, know that you are witnessing a miracle. Not because we are broken but because we refuse to be. Period. Because even in the face of fear, even when the world built walls around us, we kept finding windows, and we kept finding light.”
Yasmin Finney is part of a growing wave of trans artists who refuse to be reduced to the token trans character or the tragic trans story-line. Her work centers on joy, intimacy, identity, and complexity. She represents transness as a full life to be well-lived. She’s changing the way audiences understand what trans representation can look like when it’s rooted in realness.
She is becoming the role model trans youth never saw growing up. And it’s safe to say she’s just getting started.
Related: Trans Visibility Takes Center Stage On One Of Yosemite National Park’s Most Iconic Summits
