Trace Lysette (born 2 October 1981) is an American actress whose most notable roles include Shea in the television series Transparent (2014–2019) and Tracey in the feature film Hustlers (2019).
Lysette was estranged from her biological family and struggled financially due to her gender transition, which led her to seek acceptance in the underground New York ball culture scene, of which she has been a member since young adulthood.
[6] Lysette made her major feature debut in 2019 starring alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu among others in the critically acclaimed box office hit Hustlers.
[13][14] An article published in July 2020 by Variety revealed that Lysette had signed on as an Executive Producer of Trans in Trumpland, a documentary series about being transgender in the Trump Administration era.
[19] Lysette has spoken at various events and colleges across the country, including Women’s March Las Vegas, and Out & Equal in Philadelphia, about her experiences in hopes of highlighting the injustices that members of the trans community face.
In 2018, Lysette commented on Twitter about actress Scarlett Johansson’s decision to accept the role of a transgender man Dante "Tex" Gill in crime drama Rub & Tug,[20] stating that opportunities for trans actors were already so limited.
[26] Showrunner Joey Soloway published a statement expressing "great respect and admiration for Van Barnes and Trace Lysette, whose courage in speaking out about their experience on Transparent is an example of the leadership this moment in our culture requires.