Ines Rau became the first transgender Playmate, as the French model is in a pictorial and centerfold for the magazine's November/December issue, the magazine announced.

Rau previously appeared in the magazine’s May 2014 A-Z issue.

"It's how I celebrated my coming out, actually," Rau told the magazine. "I took that chance, and then I signed with an agency."

Although Rau is the first transgender Playmate, she isn't Playboy's first transgender model, Cosmopolitan reported. The first was Tula, who appeared in the September 1991 issue.

Hugh Hefner, the founder and publisher of Playboy, died on Sept. 27. He becomes the first man to appear solo -- and 11th overall -- on the cover of the magazine. A 1965 photograph by Larry Gordon was used to pay tribute to Hefner, the magazine said. The first six pages of the November/December issue are dedicated to Hefner, who published the first issue of Playboy in December 1953..

In a tweet Wednesday, Hefner’s son Cooper Hefner, the magazine’s chief creative officer, said that the magazine and society “should be fighting for a more open world.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Make a lantern and join the Atlanta Beltline Parade on the Southwest Trail on Saturday, or watch the colorful procession go by. (Courtesy of Atlanta Beltline)

Credit: (Courtesy of Atlanta Beltline)

Featured

A new poll from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explored what Georgians thought about the first 100 days in office of President Donald Trump’s second term. Photo illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC

Credit: Philip Robibero/AJC