On April 24, the Olympic champion and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner publicly came out as a transgender woman, in a highly anticipated, prime-time interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer. Today, Jenner debuted her new look—and new first name—in a sneak peek of Vanity Fair’s upcoming July cover story.
Shot by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, the 65-year-old Jenner is a glamorous vision in white. The headline on the cover reads: ”Call me Caitlyn.”
The interview, teased on Vanity Fair’s website, was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buzz Bissinger, who was given “unfettered access to Jenner and her family, [and] chronicles the tensions, traumas, and courage that shaped Caitlyn into the woman you see today,” according to the magazine.
The visually stunning treatment is sure to be remembered as yet another important moment for trans awareness, coming almost exactly a year after Orange is the New Black actress and transgender advocate Laverne Cox was featured on the cover of TIME. Cox’s cover was followed soon after by billionaire transgender woman Martine Rothblatt’s shot on the cover of New York Magazine in September. Indeed, 2014 was a remarkable year for transgender rights generally, with milestones in the spheres of television, music, politics, fashion, and culture.
The Vanity Fair issue officially hits newsstands June 9. Until then, Jenner’s supporters will have to content themselves with a behind-the-scenes video posted ahead of the magazine’s release date. “Bruce always had to tell a lie. He was always living that lie,” Jenner notes in the video. “Every day, he always had a secret, from morning ’til night. Caitlyn doesn’t have any secrets. As soon as the Vanity Fair cover comes out, I’m free.”