'Glee' actress Josie Totah, 18, comes out as transgender female

Josie Totah is 18 years old and already has the career many actors twice her age would be envious for. With roles in Glee, Spider-Man: Homecoming and the NBC Mindy Kaling comedy Champions, Totah is a rising star. But throughout her career, she has always yearned for a different part than the ones she played.

"When I was on the show 'Glee,' I'd stand back and watch Lea Michele," Totah wrote in an essay for Time. "She was fabulous. And it was fun to see her and the other girls wear dresses and put on lavish musical numbers. But it was also hard, because I wanted that to be me."

In the essay published Tuesday, Totah, who went by "JJ Totah" professionally, made an announcement: "My pronouns are she, her and hers. I identify as female, specifically as a transgender female. And my name is Josie Totah."

Kaling tweeted her support saying, "I'm so glad you're able to speak your truth and live as your authentic self."

https://twitter.com/mindykaling/status/1031610928746221568

In the essay, Totah says that even before she knew what the word "gender" meant, she "always knew on some level that [she] was female" and asked to wear dresses as soon as she could speak full sentences. But it wasn't until she saw the documentary series I Am Jazz, about transgender activist Jazz Jennings, that she decided to pursue hormone replacement therapy.

One constant obstacle Totah faced was people's assumptions that she was a gay man. She wrote that reporters asked her how it felt to be a "young gay man" and LGBTQ+ rights organizations would introduce her that way when when presenting her with awards. Totah felt like she had to hide her identity and would wear the girls clothing she wanted to wear under sweatpants and sweatshirts.

"I almost felt like I owed it to everybody to be that gay boy," Totah said. "I was afraid I wouldn't be accepted, that I would be embarrassed, that the fans who knew me from the time when I acted in a Disney show would be confused."

This story was originally published on August 20, 2018 with the title "'Champions' star Josie Totah comes out as transgender."