Trans Star Leiomy Maldonado Personifies Beauty in New Campaign

Photographed by Quil Lemons for Black Opal

The ballroom fixture is the new star of Black Opal Beauty.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

April 11 2021 3:44 PM EST

May 31 2023 5:04 PM EST

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Leiomy Maldonado is known for her activism, dancing, and legendary status in the ballroom scene. Now she can add "model" to her impressive C.V. -- the Bronx native is the new lead model for Black Opal Beauty's new campaign.

Maldonado -- familiar to those outside the ballroom scene for her stint on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, her position as judge on HBO Max's Legendary, and a role on FX's Pose -- is Black Opal's first transgender model. Launched 25 years ago, Black Opal offers affordable cosmetics and beauty products for those with darker skin.

"For over 25 years, Black Opal has created products made specifically for women of color, and today, it is also Black- and female-owned," Maldonado recently told The Cut. "There's an authenticity with this brand and, more specifically, this campaign. It is clear that inclusivity is a core value of the brand which is why I said yes to being their first trans model. During this pivotal time in history for everyone, especially the LGBTQ+ community, I'm thrilled to be representing Black Opal."

Maldonado was photographed by gender-bending Black photographer Quil Lemons, also known as his glam alter-ego, Glitterboy.

Black Opal is owned by Desiree Rogers, a former cosmetics CEO and the social secretary under President Obama, and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, the one-time CEO of Ebony Media, the publisher of iconic Black-centered publications like Ebony and Jet.