Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Lauren Chan becomes the first openly lesbian cover star

Daily Mail​

15-05-2025

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is making waves again - this time by putting its first openly lesbian model on the cover.
Lauren Chan, a Canadian model and advocate for size inclusivity, is one of four women featuring on the cover of this year's issue, joining Salma Hayek, gymnast Jordan Chiles, and college athlete Olivia Dunne.
Lauren told People: '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.'
She added: 'That's where I feel like the tears of joy and celebration and relief and community come from.'
Many fans rushed to congratulate her, while others questioned why her sexuality was being discussed at all, posting comments like, 'How is her sex life anybody's business?' and 'It's 2025. Nobody cares'.
Another user wrote, 'She's beautiful. Why can't we just focus on the cover? Why is it all about sexuality? Smh.'
Some critics even accused the magazine of pushing a 'woke' agenda.
One person wrote: 'SI applies "Go woke, go broke". Bye bye.'
Another chimed in: 'I dropped Sports Illustrated years ago… couldn't take their woke nonsense anymore.'
Others took aim at the magazine's inclusive evolution.
Someone said: 'From the moment I saw Sports Illustrated celebrating obesity, all the lefty WOKE magazines were over.'
One user admitted: 'It's a little woke but I'll let it slide this once.'
Sports Illustrated has faced similar criticism in recent years for breaking traditional beauty standards.
Online reaction: The move caused a stir on social media
In 2020, Valentina Sampaio became the first transgender model featured in the issue.
In 2021, Leyna Bloom became the first transgender cover star, followed by pop star Kim Petras landing a cover in 2023.
Lauren herself even fired back at critics.
The body positivity advocate took to social media after someone left a dismissive comment on a photo from her return to the magazine, which shows her posing on a Bermudan beach in an off-white lace two-piece.
She posted a screenshot of the remark, left by the user, who wrote, 'Who are they even doing this for anymore? Women?? This makes zero sense.'
Lauren didn't hold back. In the post, she responded: 'This is exactly why I show up in this space with my full chest.'
She added that the magazine is meant for women - for representation and inspiration - not as 'an objectifying catalogue of fantasy for patriarchal pawns'.
In a second slide, she cheekily added: 'Wait 'til he finds out I'm a lesbian.'
In the caption, Lauren explained the comment 'struck a chord with me' and said she deliberately left it up for everyone to see.
She wrote: 'The inclusion of myself and other folks that represent minorities in SI Swimsuit signifies an evolution in how women are allowed to exist in this society and which women deserve respect.
'This man is insinuating that because I am a size 14, Asian and Middle Eastern, a lesbian, etc., that I am unattractive to him individually and that therefore no man, based on the patriarchal beauty standard, could deem me worthy of being in this publication.'
Lauren went on to explain that the magazine is helping to redefine beauty 'through the female gaze,' and that every woman should feel seen in its pages.
She said: 'It is not an outdated, objectifying catalogue of fantasy for patriarchal pawns. If that makes men feel irrelevant and angry enough to throw a tantrum in my comments... I see no issue publicly and permanently addressing them.'
She signed off by throwing her full support behind the magazine's mission, writing that she believes in it 'with [her] whole heart,' and declaring: 'SI Swimsuit 2025 is for the girls.'