Raquel Willis


Raquel Willis is an African American writer, editor, and transgender rights activist. She is a former national organizer for the Transgender Law Center, and the former executive editor of Out magazine. She serves as the Director of Communications for the Ms. Foundation for Women. In 2020, Willis won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine Article.

Early life and education

Willis was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. She grew up in a Catholic family that encouraged volunteerism, stewardship, and giving back to the community. Her parents were both Sunday school teachers, and she attended church every weekend.
As a child, Willis "was very conflicted" over her gender and sexuality. She was bullied at school and by kids in the neighborhood. As a teenager, she came out as gay, and eventually found acceptance from her peers and parents.
Willis attended college at the University of Georgia, where she encountered more harassment for being gender non-conforming. She came to realize that she was a trans woman, and decided to transition. She worked with other students to counter discrimination based on gender identity. Willis graduated in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

Activism and career

After graduating from college, Willis moved to Atlanta and began getting involved in activism with fellow transgender and gender non-conforming people of color. She later came to live in Oakland and work as a communications associate, then national organizer, for the Transgender Law Center.
Willis was one of the speakers at the 2017 Women's March in Washington, D.C. She later stated that though she was glad to be there, she felt that trans women were an "afterthought in the initial planning", and she was cut off by organizers when she tried to say this at the demonstration itself.
Willis has spoken out strongly on behalf of trans women, criticizing comments by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that differentiated transgender women from cisgender women, and calling for a boycott of The Breakfast Club radio show after comedian Lil Duval joked about killing trans women during an interview.
Willis designed the Black Trans Flag, a variation on the Transgender Pride Flag with a black instead of white stripe across the middle.
Willis' writings have appeared in publications including The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and Autostraddle. She also hosted The BGD Podcast with Raquel Willis.
In December 2018, Willis was appointed as executive editor of Out magazine, becoming the first trans woman to take on a leadership position at that publication.
Willis, along with Neal Broverman, endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.
In June 2020, Willis was announced as the new Director of Communications for the Ms. Foundation for Women.

Work