Dancer and trans activist Leiomy Maldonado stars in the lastest Nike campaign

Nike has made history this LGBTQ Pride month. The sportswear company has chosen the dancer Leiomy Maldonado, a black transgender woman, to star in its latest campaign. Maldonado appears in the video ad for its Betrue collection. 

Following the style of its past controversial ads, such as its #Equality campaign which starred hijab-wearing female athletes, the company has taken steps to be more inclusive. In keeping with that goal, the brand has released during the last week of Pride month a video featuring voguing, a style of dance which was popular among gay and trans people of color in 1960s Harlem. 

In the ad, Maldonado, the first trans woman to appear in MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew in 2009, dances in the streets of New York. Precious Angel Ramirez narrates the ad, which was directed by Daisy Zhou. 

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This is not the first time a trans person has fronted a Nike campaign. Almost a year ago, Chris Mosier, the triathlete and first trans man to join the US men’s national team, loaned his image to the brand’s Unlimited Courage campaign.