Glamorous and AHS star Miss Benny comes out as transgender in personal essay
Glamorous and American Horror Stories star Miss Benny has come out as transgender in a touching personal essay.
The star, who is currently leading the former Netflix series, wrote about her journey in a piece for Time, saying that she is a "proud person", though "admittedly it’s still a bit daunting to say those words publicly".
She explained that she grew up in a religious Texas household "where queerness was totally not the vibe", though when she was 8 she "was praying every night to wake up and somehow be like my sisters".
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"I moved to LA when I was 14 as a way to get out of Texas, establish my own identity, and, hopefully, make a career as an actor," Miss Benny explained. "But I instead endured years of rejection in auditions because it 'wasn’t time for someone like me'.
"I entered relationships where my femininity was subject for negotiation. And over time, I learned to quiet the colorful parts of myself and make peace with my dreams remaining dreams."
However, when she was 19, the star got a call regarding Glamorous, recalling of the audition: "I arrived as a diet version of myself so as not to subject myself to the usual rejection I’d faced. But this time, I was met with the encouragement to be myself and let my full femininity shine.
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"They told me in the room that the role of Marco was mine, and I fell to my knees with tears in my eyes. This was the first time in my life somebody looked at me and said, 'Yes, it’s time for you'."
However, the show wasn't a smooth ride, with the series initially not going forward at its original network alongside the pandemic, Miss Benny adding of that time: "My gender dysphoria was getting brutal, and I couldn’t run from myself anymore."
"As time went by, I privately transitioned in my day-to-day life," she continued. "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."
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Netflix eventually picked up Glamorous, though Miss Benny was being hired to play a male role. After speaking with the show's creator, they decided to incorporate the star's journey in the character Marco's.
"It was really important that Marco’s trans-ness was not the plot of the show. It’s not a 'twist' to surprise the audience," she said.
"Instead, we get to watch a young queer person experiencing first love and heartbreak, career success and failure, and everything else that comes with being a young adult… while also discovering their identity in the background of life. Because being transgender is not something you do, it’s who you are."
Miss Benny also reflected on the hostile political atmosphere for trans people at the moment, explaining of the show's importance: "I am reminded that 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, it was the queer joy I found in droplets online that 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," she added, before praising trans trailblazers such as Elliot Page, Gigi Goode, Isis King, Dylan Mulvaney, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Kim Petras, Chiquitita, Tommy Dorfman, Josie Totah, the cast of Veneno and the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Glamorous is streaming now on Netflix.
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