Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Lauren Chan causes a stir as first openly lesbian cover star
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is making waves again—this time by putting its first openly lesbian model on the cover.
Lauren Chan, a Canadian model and advocate for size inclusivity, is one of four women gracing the cover of this year's issue, joining Salma Hayek, gymnast Jordan Chiles, and college athlete Olivia Dunne.
'I'm the first out lesbian on the cover — with her own cover — and how much that means to me makes that surprise feel so overwhelming,' Chan told People of learning about the cover. 'That's where I feel like the tears of joy and celebration and relief and community come from.'
Many fans rushed to congratulate her, while others questioned why it was even being discussed at all, posting comments like, 'How is her sex life anybody's business?' and 'It's 2025. Nobody cares.'
Another user wrote, 'She's beautiful. Why can't we just focus on the cover? Why is it all about sexuality? Smh.'
Still, the move didn't sit well with everyone.
Social media lit up with backlash, with critics accusing the magazine of pushing a 'woke' agenda.
'SI applies "Go woke, go broke." Bye bye,' one user wrote.
Another chimed in, 'I dropped Sports Illustrated years ago… couldn't take their woke nonsense anymore.'
Others took aim at the magazine's inclusive evolution.
'From the moment I saw Sports Illustrated celebrating obesity, all the lefty WOKE magazines were over,' one person posted.
One user admitted, 'It's a little woke but I'll let it slide this once.'
Another took it too far, dragging Stevie Wonder into the mix with a crude jab 'Absolutely hate 2 say dis but even Stevie Wonder wud prolly hate models on woke azz SI swimsuit edition covers.'
Sports Illustrated has faced similar criticism in recent years for breaking traditional beauty standards.
The move caused a stir online
In 2020, Valentina Sampaio became the first transgender model featured in the issue.
In 2021, Leyna Bloom became the first transgender cover star, followed by pop star Kim Petras landing a cover in 2023.
Chan herself even fired back at critics.
The body positivity advocate took to social media after someone left a dismissive comment on a photo from her return to the magazine, which shows her posing on a Bermudan beach in an off-white lace two-piece.
She posted a screenshot of the remark, left by an Instagram user named Caiser Hogan, who wrote, 'Who are they even doing this for anymore? Women?? This makes zero sense.'
Chan didn't hold back. In the post, she responded, 'This is exactly why I show up in this space with my full chest.'
She added that the magazine is meant for women—for representation and inspiration—not as 'an objectifying catalogue of fantasy for patriarchal pawns.'
In a second slide, she cheekily added, 'wait 'til he finds out I'm a lesbian.'
In the caption, Chan explained the comment 'struck a chord with me' and said she deliberately left it up for everyone to see.
'The inclusion of myself and other folks that represent minorities in SI Swimsuit signifies an evolution in how women are allowed to exist in this society and which women deserve respect,' she wrote.
'This man is insinuating that because I am a size 14, Asian and Middle Eastern, a lesbian, etc., that I am unattractive to him individually and that therefore no man, based on the patriarchal beauty standard, could deem me worthy of being in this publication.'
Chan went on to explain that the magazine is helping to redefine beauty 'through the female gaze,' and that every woman should feel seen in its pages.
'It is not an outdated, objectifying catalogue of fantasy for patriarchal pawns. If that makes men feel irrelevant and angry enough to throw a tantrum in my comments ... I see no issue publicly and permanently addressing them,' she said.
She signed off by throwing her full support behind the magazine's mission, writing that she believes in it 'with [her] whole heart,' and declaring: 'SI Swimsuit 2025 is for the girls.'
Love it or hate it, SI's latest issue is continuing its mission to push boundaries—and spark conversation.
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