Glamorous star Miss Benny comes out as trans
"It felt as if I had lived with a stuffy nose my whole life and then suddenly my breathing airways opened."
American YouTuber and actress Miss Benny has come out publicly as trans in an emotional essay.
Writing for Time, the 24-year-old says she has been “privately living” as a transgender woman “for the last few years.”
Miss Benny recently starred in the Netflix series Glamorous alongside Kim Cattrall.
“I’m a proud person, but admittedly it’s still a bit daunting to say those words publicly,” she wrote in the essay published Monday (26 June).
“Let’s just say I’m one of those girls who grew up in a religious Texas household where queerness was totally not the vibe.”
She moved to LA at 14 to “get out of Texas,” “establish [her] identity,” and “make a career as an actor.”
She added that she “endured rejection” in auditions and “entered relationships where my femininity was subject for negotiation.”
“Over time, I learned to quiet the colorful parts of myself and make peace with my dreams remaining dreams.”
It was auditioning for the coming-of-age comedy Glamorous that gave her hope. She stated she was finally “met with the encouragement to be myself and let my full femininity shine.”
“My gender dysphoria was getting brutal, and I couldn’t run from myself anymore.” During the pandemic, Miss Benny then “privately transitioned.”
“I too can breathe and enjoy my life the same way everyone else does.”
“It felt as if I had lived with a stuffy nose my whole life and then suddenly my breathing airways opened, and I discovered everybody else has been breathing freely the whole time. And now, I too can breathe and enjoy my life the same way everyone else does.”
Furthermore, with Glamorous, Miss Benny said her “dreams came true.”
The Netflix show explores gender nonconforming identity through the character of Marco Mejia, Miss Benny’s character.
“It was really important that Marco’s trans-ness was not the plot of the show,” Miss Benny also wrote. “It’s not a ‘twist’ to surprise the audience.”
“I know that when I was a terrified queer kid in Texas, it was the queer joy I found in droplets online that guided me to my happiness,” Miss Benny added.
“If someone like me is out there feeling the weight of being othered, I want them to have a place they can see someone like us thrive and be celebrated.”