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This story appears in the January 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. To a degree unimaginable a decade ago, the intensely personal subject of gender identity has entered the public square.

identity, and experience a role in that work. A native of the Great Lakes State, National Geographic’s editor contends that protection of the freshwater source is key to the planet’s survival.

The inaugural 'National Geographic 33' list includes the likes of Don Cheadle, Selena Gomez, Sterlin Harjo, Michelle Yeoh and Jason Momoa.