French model Ines Rau is Playboy’s first transgender playmate.
Rau, 26, will be featured in the centerfold of Playboy’s November/December “Collector’s Edition” issue, the first issue since Hugh Hefner’s death in September.
“I lived a long time without saying I was transgender,” Rau said in a statement. “I dated a lot and almost forgot. I was scared of never finding a boyfriend and being seen as weird. Then I was like, ‘you know, you should just be who you are. It’s a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it’s your gender, sexuality, whatever.’”
This isn’t the first time Rau has posed for Playboy. She also was featured in the magazine’s May 2014 “A-Z” issue for a nude pictorial titled “Evolution.” Soon after, she signed with a modeling agency.
According to People, the “Collector’s Edition” issue will also have another history-making feature. The magazine will pay tribute to Hefner by making him the cover star. It marks the first time a woman has not graced the cover in the magazine’s history.
The issue hits newsstands on Halloween.
