Op-ed: 14 Reasons That Made 2011 Great for Trans People

3. Harmony Santana Becomes the First Openly Trans Actor to Get a Major Award Nomination 

For her moving portrayal of a young trans woman of color in Gun Hill Road, Harmony Santana is the first openly trans actor to be nominated at the prestigious Independent Spirit Awards for Best Supporting Actress. Certainly Santana's path has been paved by numerous trans allies portraying trans people (e.g. Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry, and Felicity Huffman in TransAmerica), though Santana is the first person to be nominated for a major industry award as a trans actor depicting a trans person, and in the proper category, no less.