How Lauren Chan Made Sports Illustrated Swimsuit History

Chan spent months prepping — but not in the way you might expect. She was so focused on and anxious about crafting the essay and doing it justice that she almost forgot about the photo element. It wasn’t about being a picture-perfect example of representation. Chan ultimately wanted to do herself and her coming-out story proud, while reaching people who might be in a similar situation. “The LGBTQ community is so vast and there are many different stories, and mine is new. I hope, first and foremost, there is room for folks who have been here and deserve that platform,” she said. “But had I seen a story like mine that was not so clear, not out and confident, more on the questioning side, a little late in life, already down the road on marriage and all that other stuff, maybe it would have helped me sooner. Maybe I would have felt less alone. I just hope that there are people who resonate with my experience, I get to represent that for them.”