, Rocero rose from pageant queen in the Philippines to top fashion model and trans activist in the U.S., having publicly come out as transgender in a now-viral TED talk along the way.As a years-long wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation crested in 2023, Rocero's decision to tell her story—and her subsequent honor as —couldn’t have been more urgent, or timely. And Rocero's honor in particular made for quite a "full-circle moment," as both she and noted in their moving speeches.“Glamour was the first American magazine to , out and proud,” James recalled, before highlighting just some of Rocero's impressive accomplishments.