Ivory Aquino

Ivory Aquino first rose to fame when she played transgender activist Cecilia Chung on the ABC miniseries "When We Rise" (ABC, 2017), but broke even further ground when she publicly came out as transgender herself leading up to the show's premiere. Aquino got her start on stage, where she quickly became an in-demand Shakespearian actress, appearing in New York City productions of the Bard's works. In 2007, she appeared in the short film "Virtue: The Way of the Modern Samurai" (2007), and went on to appear in the shorts "Alien Uprising" (2008), "Konstruksiyon" (2008), "Couch" (2010) and "The Fever and the Fret" (2016). Aquino's big break came when she landed the role of transgender activist Cecilia Chung on the ABC miniseries "When We Rise" (ABC, 2017), written and directed by the Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, based on the memoirs of gay rights activist Cleve Jones. In January of 2017, Aquino made headlines when she came out as transgender during an interview with People magazine. The news was mostly met with encouragement and praise, with Aquino now being lauded for her bravery as well as her acting skills.