Young actress Josie Totah has come out as a transgender woman in an op-ed for TIME magazine.
The 17-year-old former Disney Channel star, also known for her roles in Glee and the Mindy Kaling comedy Champions, shared their story and inspiration for coming out.
Growing up in Northern California, Totah says she had become used to people just assuming she was a gay man.
“On the playground, I was the type of kid who wanted to sing with the girls, not play soccer with the boys. Then I found myself playing that role once I got into the entertainment industry, and people kept assuming my identity,” Totah writes.
“Numerous reporters have asked me in interviews how it feels to be a young gay man. I was even introduced that way before receiving an award from an LGBTQ+ rights organization. I understand that they didn’t really know better. I almost felt like I owed it to everybody to be that gay boy. But that has never been the way I think of myself.”
“My pronouns are she, her and hers. I identify as female, specifically as a transgender female. And my name is Josie Totah.”
Totah goes on to explain that her identity ‘crystallised’ when she was watching I Am Jazz, A TLC reality series that follows the life of young transgender girl Jazz Jennings.
The young actress says she is always excited to continue her acting career, and is ready to head to college.
“I can only imagine how much more fun it’s going to be to play someone who shares my identity, rather than having to contort myself to play a boy.”
“I’m going to gun for those roles, be it a transgender female or a cisgender female. Because it’s a clean slate — and a new world.”
