Miss Benny, starring in the renowned Netflix series Glamorous, has revealed that she is transgender in a gripping, touching personal essay she wrote for Time.
She expresses gratitude to Time for giving her a chance to be open about her transition and lists her preferred pronouns on Twitter (she/her), saying that she is a “proud person,” despite the fact that “admittedly it’s still a bit daunting to say those words publicly.”
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Hometown And First Step Towards Escape
She went on to describe how she struggled with her identity while growing up in a conservative Christian home in Texas, where “queerness was totally not the vibe,” writing, “By 8 years old, I was praying every night to wake up and somehow be like my sisters. I would cry when I would awaken in the same body in the morning.
She yearned for an escape from Texas and the chance to build her identity on her own terms. At the age of 14, she moved to Los Angeles in search of that opportunity.
However, instead of the career advancement she had high hopes for upon her impending arrival, she endured years of audition rejection “because it ‘wasn’t time for someone like me,'” she said.
She says she “entered relationships where my femininity was subject to negotiation, ” forcing her to make peace with her “dreams remaining dreams.”
Glamorous: The Awaited Turning Point
But life had a massive surprise in store for her. At 19, Miss Benny was overjoyed to be cast in the new Netflix series “Glamorous,” in which she portrays Marco, a non-binary makeup artist who serves as an assistant to a makeup entrepreneur played by Kim Cattrall. She recalls the audition fondly, saying she ” was encouraged to be me and let my full femininity shine.”
This was the beginning of one of the happiest phases of her life, and things would only get better from then on. Coupled with her career taking off in a direction she had so ardently desired, she began privately transitioning in her day-to-day life.
“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.”
The show evolved alongside her.
Netflix eventually picked up Glamorous, but the only issue was that Miss Benny was cast in a male role. After consulting the show’s creator, they decided to include the star’s journey in Marco’s.
She declared that the show’s plot should not revolve around Marco’s transgender identity. Instead, the audience gets to see a young queer person go through first love and heartbreak, career success and failure, and everything else that comes with being a young adult while quietly coming to terms with their identity.
Conclusion
Despite some natural inhibitions and initial fears about coming out in the country’s current tense political atmosphere, she says, “This fear is exactly why I wanted to include my transition in the show. Because I know that when I was a terrified queer kid in Texas, the queer joy I found in droplets online guided me to my happiness.”
“And 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.”
