Nicole Maines
She fought for her right to use a school bathroom and won a landmark legal case, then stepped in front of the camera to become television's first transgender superhero.
Born 1997 (age 29)·American actress, writer and transgender rights activist·Birthday: October 7·Generation Z
Biography
Nicole Maines's life has been a narrative of firsts, forged in both the courtroom and the writer's room. As a teenager, she was the anonymous plaintiff 'Susan Doe' in a Maine Supreme Judicial Court case that established, for the first time in the U.S., that transgender students cannot be barred from bathrooms matching their gender identity. That victory didn't just change her life; it set a crucial legal precedent. Maines then channeled that experience into art, studying acting and landing a historic role as Nia Nal / Dreamer on The CW's 'Supergirl,' the first transgender superhero on television. She further expanded her storytelling into comic books, co-writing a 'Dreamer' series. Maines embodies a powerful duality: both the activist who changed the law and the artist who changes hearts, using every platform to normalize and humanize transgender experiences.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Nicole was born in 1997, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Nicole Was Born
The biggest hits of 1997
#1 Movie
Titanic
Best Picture
Titanic
#1 TV Show
ER
Nicole's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1997Born
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2002Started school
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Became a teenager
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Could drive
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2015Could vote
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2018Turned 21
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 29 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Was the successful plaintiff in the landmark 2014 Maine Supreme Court case Doe v. Regional School Unit 26, affirming bathroom rights for transgender students.
- Portrayed Nia Nal / Dreamer on 'Supergirl,' becoming the first transgender superhero on mainstream television.
- Co-wrote the DC Comics series 'Dreamer' based on her television character.
Did You Know?
She is a twin; her brother, Jonas, is also a transgender rights activist.
Her family's legal battle was chronicled in the book 'Becoming Nicole' by Amy Ellis Nutt.
She was named one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year in 2019.
“I didn't set out to be an activist. I set out to be a kid who got to go to school and use the bathroom.”
