Sports Illustrated woke up today and decided to send sapphics into a spiral. Not that we’re complaining.
This morning, the magazine dropped its highly anticipated annual swimsuit issue, and this year’s cover model, Lauren Chan, made lesbian history by becoming the first-ever out lesbian to grace the iconic issue’s cover. Chan is one of four women featured on their own covers, including actress Salma Hayek Pinault, Olvia Dunne, and Jordan Chiles.
It's a momentous occasion that's not a lot lost on Chan, who’s also a passionate size-inclusion advocate and the founder of the size-inclusive clothing brandHenning. "I'm the first out lesbian on the cover — with her own cover — and how much that means to me makes that surprise feel so overwhelming," Chan toldPEOPLE in its exclusive interview. "That's where I feel like the tears of joy and celebration and relief and community come from."
t’s all part and parcel with the model’s personal and professional ethos. "My whole career has been based on representation and inclusion, first for folks of size with my time as a plus-size model and fashion editor and plus-size brand founder," she explained.
While this marks her debut on the cover of Sports Illustrated, this isn't Chan’s first time modeling for the publication: she previously made it into its pages in 2023 and 2024. However, becoming one of its famed cover stars is huge, and Chan sees it as an opportunity to represent her various communities.
"Once I started my journey with Swimsuit, it has become a lot about LGBTQ folks and the AAPI community, because I believe I'm also the first Chinese person on the cover of Swimsuit. So although my career has taken different forms, the same North Star has been followed, and that is to represent people like me who have felt marginalized and left out to have them feel not just included but celebrated," she said.
Chan is also winning in her personal life. The Canadian model appeared as a special guest judge on season five of Canada’s Drag Race and shared in March that she’d gotten engaged to her partner, director (and self-described “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Husband of the Year 2025”)Hayley Kosan.
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Refinery29
Congrats to Chan — and sapphics everywhere — because everything about this story is putting a smile on our faces today!
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