Kim Petras Addresses ‘Pressure’ She Feels Representing the Trans Community

Dan Lyons | May 15, 2023

2023 has been a huge year for popstar Kim Petras. The German singer-songwriter made history at the 65th annual Grammy Awards with her win alongside Sam Smith for “best pop duo/group performance” for their hit “Unholy,” becoming the first transgender woman to take home the award, and the second ever to win a Grammy.

Now, Petras is gracing the cover of the 2023 SI Swimsuit issue, joining Brooks Nader, Martha Stewart and Megan Fox.

With all that she’s accomplished throughout her career, Petras spoke with SI Swim about the pressure that she feels to represent the trans community.

“It’s definitely a scary time to be transgender in America, but there’s also so much more representation than there’s ever been, and there’s so many things on the bright side,” she said. “I do feel a pressure sometimes to represent the trans community with everything I do, because I feel very blessed that I am at this point where I have all these amazing opportunities that I’ve worked really hard for, and feel so happy when I hear from trans people in general that they’re inspired by me.

Check out Kim Petras’s entire SI Swimsuit photoshoot.

“I think what you do is the most important thing, not what your gender is, and all of that,” said Petras. “I always try to remember that everything I do is definitely not about being transgender. It’s a part of me, but there are so many other parts of me. And I think that’s really important for me to show that to people. No matter what your gender or sexuality or any of that stuff is, it’s about what you make of life and it’s about what’s inside of you, so I hope that can be inspiring to people.”

Check out coverage of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.