13 trans models strut against Arkansas' anti-trans laws

For the last decade, transgender activist Lisa Stuart has dedicated her life to raising the visibility of transgender and nonbinary Arkansans.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is that there’s a lot more of us in the community than you’d think,” she said. “There’s kind of this narrative that you’ll never find a trans person here, that it’s so rare.”

Last year, the state’s trans community finally gained the attention of the nation. But it wasn’t what Stuart had hoped for.

In April, Arkansas made international headlines after becoming the first of two U.S. states to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Aside from the health care law — which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in July — a law signed by the governor last March that limits trans participation in school sports also drew widespread attention to the state’s trans population.