Noella McMaher: 10-year-old TRANS MODEL, with trans parents, is youngest to walk ramp in NYFW's history

The child became the center of attention as she strutted for the Trans Clothing Company

UPDATED AUG 25, 2022

Noella McMaher was the youngest model in history to walk for the New York Fashion Week (Getty Images, thenoellabella/Instagram)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Noella McMaher made her New York Fashion Week debut in February as one of numerous trans and non-binary models walking for the brand the Trans Clothing Company. Her parents identify as non-binary, and she has an infant brother who they call "theybie." She was event's youngest participant in history.

McMaher was born a boy but now identifies as a girl. She has an active social media presence and she happily spends her days with her parents, Dee, 35, and Ray McMaher, 32.

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Noella walks the runway wearing the label Trans Clothing Company at New York Fashion Week in February.
(Getty Images for Runway 7) — Noella walks the runway wearing the label Trans Clothing Company at New York Fashion Week in February (Getty Images)

"Noella’s first show was Chicago Fashion Week at 7 years old," Dee told Forbes earlier this year. "An out trans teen told her about open auditions, and she watched YouTube videos to prepare. She booked two designers at her very first audition. Since then she has been in two Chicago Fashion Weeks and a handful of smaller shows,” they added.

Noella’s parents Ray and Dee McMaher were both born biological females but no longer identify as women.
(Photo via Dee McMaher/Facebook) — Noella’s parents Ray and Dee McMaher were both born biological females but no longer identify as women. (Dee McMaher/Facebook)

Dee told the New York Post that Noella frequently misbehaved and disliked wearing masculine attire even as a child. Dee claimed that once they ultimately took her to a gender clinic and she felt liberated to be a female, she came into her own.

"Our job as parents for all three of our children is to embrace their individual needs. With Noella we have a child who has known who she was from very early on," Dee said. Noella wasn't pressured to be a female, they added.

"My spouse and I probably own two pairs of shoes between us. We’re not into fashion at all. Noella is the opposite. She loves glitter and makeup and clothes. We wouldn’t even know how to encourage that kind of femininity," Dee said. They added that they were prepared to respond to any inquiries about how a 10-year-old child learnt they were transgender.

“At 2 years old, she started telling us she wasn’t a boy. At 4.5, she socially transitioned and at 7 she legally transitioned. My spouse and I are also transgender,” Dee added. “Noella transitioned way before we did. She is the most self-assured person I know. I tell her all the time I want to be like her when I grow up," Dee added.

The family of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, one of the largest funders to transgender causes globally, signed an executive order in 2019 to support the rights of LGBTQ kids in the classroom. Noella, was posing at his side sporting a pink tutu, a big bow in her hair and a T-shirt that said, "This is what trans looks like."