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Evie MacDonald

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Evie MacDonald
Born2004 or 2005 (age 20–21)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupations
  • Actress
  • writer
  • activist

Evangeline MacDonald is an Australian actress, model, and transgender rights activist. She starred as Hannah Bradford in the drama series First Day.[1]

Biography

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Born to parents from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,[2] she is the middle child of five siblings.[3] She began modelling aged six[4] and transitioned aged nine.[3] In 2016, she was one of ten trans children photographed by Emma Leslie for her Transcend portrait series.[2] She has stated that she attended a Christian school and spent several weeks undergoing conversion therapy.[5] She and her family campaigned and travelled to Canberra to speak with MPs, which helped instigate a 2017 landmark court case that meant minors no longer had to go to a family court to obtain gender-affirming care.[1]

In 2017, and aged 12, MacDonald began appearing as Hannah Bradford in First Day, making her the first openly transgender person to play the lead role in an Australian TV program.[6][7] Trans showgirl Carlotta had previously played a trans character in Number 96 in 1973.[8] In the program, Bradford is a 12-year-old transgender girl who recently started middle school.[1] Directed by Julie Kalceff, First Day aired a series on ABC Me and CBBC in 2020, which was added to YouTube in 2025 in response to increased transphobia.[9][1] A further series aired in 2022.[10] The show received positive reception and won an International Children's Emmy Award, a Rose d'Or, and a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding children and family programming.[9]

In September 2018, Evie criticised the then-prime minister Scott Morrison on The Project after he retweeted a transphobic The Daily Telegraph piece and complained about "gender whisperers" in schools.[11][3] A further episode of The Project that month featured a segment on her transition[12] and was criticised for deadnaming her.[13] In 2025, she appeared on GLAAD's "20 Under 20" list.[1] Her social media content is partially lifestyle and partially advocacy.[7] Her mother Meaghan MacDonald co-founded Parents of Gender Diverse Children with her friend Karyn Walker.[2]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sargeant, Chloe (12 December 2025). "Melbourne Trans Rights Advocate Evie MacDonald Named in GLAAD's '20 Under 20' list". Star Observer. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Caines, Kimberley (29 January 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: 'I'd rather go to heaven than live here as a boy': Inside the lives of Australian trans children - Part one". Nine News.
  3. 1 2 3 Taylor, Josh (24 August 2019). "How children became the target in a rightwing culture war over gender". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Byram, Vickii (31 March 2022). "Experience of a life lived as a 'transkid' sets First Day apart". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Eavis, Lynley (30 March 2020). "Evie Macdonald". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  6. ↑ Pobjie, Ben (27 March 2022). "Trans actor Evie Macdonald is only 16 and she's already made history". The Age. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 Wells, V. S. (11 June 2021). "Meet Evie Macdonald. At 13, she took TV by storm and became national figure in trans activism". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  8. ↑ McIntyre, Joanna (19 December 2017). "More Australian trans stories on our TV screens, please". The Conversation. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 Hansford, Amelia (4 July 2025). "Award-winning CBBC trans series gets free UK re-release". PinkNews. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Why Evie wishes she had this TV show growing up". ABC News. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Clift, Tom (6 September 2018). "Please Enjoy This Trans Teen Dragging Scott Morrison On 'The Project'". Junkee. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "The trans teen who took on PM Scott Morrison shares her story on 'The Project'". Special Broadcasting Service. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Barber, Laurence (20 September 2018). "13-year-old trans advocate calls out Scott Morrison: 'He didn't apologise'". Star Observer. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
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