'Champions' actor Josie Totah comes out as transgender

Actor Josie Totah, who has featured in shows like '

Champions

' and 'Jessie', has come out as transgender. In an essay for a magazine, Josie opened up publicly about her gender identity for the first time.

"When I was on the show 'Glee,' I'd stand back and watch Lea Michele. 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," Josie wrote.

"My pronouns are she, her and hers. I identify as female, specifically as a transgender female. And my name is Josie Totah," she added.

Josie said that even before she knew the meaning of word "gender," 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 was after she saw the documentary series "

I Am Jazz

," about transgender activist

Jazz Jennings

, that she decided to pursue hormone replacement therapy.

Now, as she prepares for college, Josie wrote that she is excited to represent transgender people on the big screen, and in real life.

"I plan to play roles I haven't had the opportunity to play. And 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."

Mindy Kaling, who starred in 'Champions' alongside Josie, took to Twitter to praise the actor.


"I love you, Josie. I'm so glad you're able to speak your truth and live as your authentic self. You're also so damn talented - I can't wait to write for you again!"