Playboy makes history; introduces first transgender playmate

Playboy, the men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, has made history by introducing the first transgender playmate in their November/December 2017 issue.

The latest edition has been released as a tribute to the magazine's founder, Hugh Hefner. It features French model Ines Rau as its first transgender playmate with a centrefold and a pictorial. The 26-year-old model described the collaboration as a turning point in her life.

"It's how I celebrated my coming out, actually. I took that chance, and then I signed with an agency. I lived a long time without saying I was transgender. I dated a lot and almost forgot. I was scared of never finding a boyfriend and being seen as weird. Then I was like, You know, you should just be who you are. It's a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it's your gender, sexuality, whatever. The people who reject you aren't worth it. It's not about being loved by others; it's about loving yourself," the model said in a statement.

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Apart from commanding several couture runways, Rau has starred in Balmain campaign and appeared in Vogue Italia. She has also appeared in a special May 2014 edition of Playboy, which focussed on humanity's halting shift toward acceptance of gender identities beyond the male-female binary.

"I will always fight for LGBTQ rights and women's rights, but above everything else, my cause is the environment. Nothing touches me more than fighting against global warming. I was made to fight for the planet—the forest, the animals, the air. If I get famous, that's my first battle," the French model said.

Rau wore white lingerie set for the spread, which was captured on camera by Derek Kettela. "When I was doing this shoot, I was thinking of all those hard days in my childhood. And now everything happening gives me so much joy and happiness. I thought, Am I really going to be a Playmate—me? It's the most beautiful compliment I've ever received. It's like getting a giant bouquet of roses," she said.