5. Amiyah Scott
Amiyah Scott is an American actress and model born and raised in Manhattan, New York, United States. Scott is well known for her role as Cotton in the Television Series, Star.
She was the first trans woman cast on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and, in 2016, she was cast as Cotton in Lee Daniels’ series, Star. Scott also published a memoir, Memoirs of a Mermaid, in 2019, just inches past 30 years old. With a commitment to uplifting the trans community, Scott created a nonprofit, Transgender Empowerment of America (TEA), whose mission is “to empower and improve the conditions of the transgender community so that equity and acceptance can be reached globally.” In partnership with GLAAD, TEA offers medical, social, emotional, and financial support to transgender community members.
In the LGBTQ&A podcast by Luminary, Scott talks about discovering the ballroom scene in Atlanta after Hurricane Katrina forced her to leave New Orleans. "Balls were created to not only be a safe space but to celebrate the community. We weren't being celebrated, so we decided to celebrate ourselves." Hosted by Jeffrey Masters, in the podcast, Amiyah also talks about the challenges of playing a trans character on the TV show, Star, who is going through so many of the same things she's gone through in life.