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'Glee,' 'Spider-Man,' and 'Champions' actress comes out as transgender
This week, the star that was formally known as J.J. Totah came out as transgender. She now goes by the name Josie Totah.
The actress revealed in an essay when she knew who she truly was. She also reflected on how hard it was to pretend to be a gay person when she knew she wasn’t.
Josie Totah, 18, revealed that when she was young people would always assume that she was gay. On the playground, she was seen singing with the girls instead of playing soccer with the boys.
In the entertainment industry, she found herself playing the gay role again as people kept assuming her identity. However, she’s finally accepted herself as a woman.
“My pronouns are she, her and hers. I identify as female, specifically as a transgender female. And my name is Josie Totah.”https://t.co/qKrLim7bul pic.twitter.com/vhTqzl68Bc
— BuzzFeed LGBTQ (@BuzzFeedLGBTQ) August 20, 2018
For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. Totah shared that being a woman wasn’t a choice but who she was.
“When I was five, long before I understood what the word gender meant, I would always tell my mother that I wished I were a girl,” the star revealed. “I always knew on some level that I was female,” she stated.
Earlier this year, @HRC was proud to honor @JosieTotah with the HRC Visibility Award at the 2018 HRC Salt Lake Gala.
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) August 21, 2018
Today, she bravely shared her truth with the world. 💖💙 pic.twitter.com/xhbNmBenjr
The truth really hit her when she was 14-years-old watching the show "I Am Jazz" with her mother. The reality show chronicled Jazz Jennings, 14, a transgender girl who was going through a medical transition.
From the show, Totah learnt more about hormone replacement therapy. She decided it was what she wanted to do and told her mother during the show.
#Champions star @josietotah came out as transgender in a powerful new essay for Time https://t.co/dFrkkDhmKa pic.twitter.com/0tjKUqTNE4
— HelloGiggles (@hellogiggles) August 22, 2018
Her supportive mother simply responded, “Okay, let’s do it.” Three days later she met with her pediatrician, who referred her to a specialist and she was put on a hormone blocker.
She shared that when her friends and family call her Josie, it felt like she was finally visible. As a semi-religious person, she stated that she believed God had made her transgender.
“I don’t feel like I was put in the wrong body. I don’t feel like there was a mistake made. I believe that I am transgender to help people understand differences. It allows me to gain perspective, to be more accepting of others, because I know what it feels like to know you’re not like everyone else,” the star explained.
Champions star Josie Totah comes out as a transgender: "I'm ready to be free" https://t.co/DoYvezsUXD pic.twitter.com/lZkZ349zL1
— billboard pride (@BillboardPride) August 21, 2018
Now, as she starts college she looks forward to continuing her acting career and can’t wait to do both as her authentic self. She also planned to act in roles that she hadn’t had the opportunity to play before.
