Writer/Director Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix, Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending), 48, came out as transgender last month in a moving letter to LGBT publication The Windy City Times. Lilly made it clear that although she was living as a woman and was out to her family, friends and coworkers, she was only making a public statement after several news organizations, most recently The Daily Mail, made veiled threats to out her. (The Daily Mail’s version of Lilly’s exchange with a journalist who visited her at home is of course entirely different.) She made it clear that LGBT organizations like GLAAD “strongly condemn the outing of a transgender person before they are ready to tell their own story.” Lilly’s statement was funny, clever and sad in that she brought home the sad reality for so many transgender people who don’t have resources or a support system as they transition. Lilly’s story is especially notable because her sister, Lana, came out as transgender four years ago.
Lilly made her first red carpet appearance at the GLAAD Awards on Sunday. The Netflix scifi show she co-created with Lana, Sense8, won for outstanding drama series. She got a standing ovation as she took the stage and then she gave a kind of deep speech about what it means to be transgender but more than that, human. It also related to the plot of Sense8, which is about a group of people around the world who share a psychic connection:
“Tonight is a culmination of confluent events for me,” she continued. “This was something that I became aware of shortly after receiving tonight’s invitation to tonight’s affair. Some synchronism of time-space that included the 20-year anniversary of Bound, the 2016 Trans Day of Visibility, and Pi day.”
She continued, “It’s an excellent reminder that art is never static, and while the ideas of identity and transformation are critical components of our work, the bedrock that all ideas rest upon is love. Love is a crucial thing for transgender people. It’s a tether. For while our creativity can soar beyond a seemingly immutable biological gender designations, when faced with the rather simple proposition of whether or not we are lovable, our imagination falters. Too many of us end up on the wrong side of the existential question of love in oblivion. And so we ring that bell, not for everyone else’s sake, but for our own.”
After thanking the Sense8 cast and crew and her family, Wachowski said, “Now get out there and go love with all of your fâââ might!”
I like that Lilly is getting so much positive recognition. As I’ve mentioned before, the more we get to know famous transgender people, the more it seems like understanding is increasing and public opinion is turning around. The children growing up now will hopefully live in a much more accepting, loving world.
I wonder why Lana didn’t come to the GLAAD event. Did she want to give her sister the spotlight on her own or was she otherwise busy?
photos credit: WENN and FameFlynet
I’m curious as to how many documented cases are there of 2 males in a family being transgender. I know that we see males that are gay/brothers. But I don’t know if there are many cases of two males being trans in a single family.
It’s an interesting study of sibling relationships and outside factors.
Right? i just keep coming back to the rarity of that and how to me this points out to genetics af (and It maked me wonder which 2.5 duggars HAVE TO STATISTICALLY AT THIS POINT be LGBTQ
Please let that be true.
I am fascinated by that too, and it definitely makes me think there’s a genetic component to it.
I imagine that having a close family member truly know what you are going through has to be an incredible help.
Maybe not so much genetics as uterine environment that foetuses are exposed to. I’m no expert but I believe that scientists have thought for a long time that gay and trans female foetuses are subjected to heavier doses of female hormones during gestation. They also think that the more sons a woman has, the higher the doses of female hormones it releases on subsequent male pregnancies. Thats why the more sons a woman, the higher the likelihood of either a gay male or female trans child.
They dont seem to be spending very much time trying to understand female homosexuality or ftm trans. Either that or it never hits the mainstream press.
I am not a religious person but good lord I would pray for this !
I really hope none of the Duggars are gay or transgender because their life would be hell if they were. Even more than it is now.
@Naya, I think you are right, I just did a class on that and research does show that uterine environment might be, at least partially responsible for a person’s sexuality.
Yep. You just know there are a couple gay Duggars in that awful family. Jim Bob?
It is just so fascinating. What are the odds? Has this happened before? As QQ says, it must be genetics and somebody needs to do research on it.
People.com featured two transgender siblings on their site last month.They are teenagers but they are a brother and a sister.
She’s a great talent, and so well spoken. I don’t understand why anyone what cares or gets upset when someone is transgender, or someone is gay. Can’t we let people be their most genuine and happy selves?
Amen to that
I don’t get it either. It especially bugs me when people cite religious reasons for thinking its “wrong.” They overlook “sins” that are much more spelled out and addressed in the Bible, such as lying and adultery, in favor of something that makes them personally uncomfortable. The same passage of the Bible that says homosexuality is an abomination also says that eating shellfish is an abomination and that a man and woman who have sex while the woman is menstruating should be put to death by stoning. So yeah, that’s what I’m going to turn to for a moral guide.
It absolutely enrages me when I see comments like, ‘It’s a he and it will always will be’. Like according to whom? Your arrogant self? People are stupid. That’s all I got.
I know her life isn’t going to be perfect and she’ll struggle with bigots for the rest of her life, but I can’t ignore that smile on her face. It says so much about how she feels about not having to hide herself anymore. I wish her the best, much love Lilly!
Exactly, GNAT! They cherry pick out the ones they haven’t done and omg those people are going to hell. Oh please. My in laws are like this and it pisses me off. They were pregnant before they were married and about a million other ‘sins’ that are no biggie because it’s them who did it. People don’t understand the bible is filled with things that are outdated and not with our times. The bible also says you can beat your wife. Try telling that to the judge!! Why is it that people only scream about what the bible says about gay issues? The bible argument is so annoying and this is coming from someone whom identifies as Christian.
Lilly is looking beautiful with that gorgeous hair. I’m glad that she was excited to come out and put her best foot forward so soon after her gender revelation. And I love her confidence in that photo where she’s showing off her lily tattoo…
My husband and I were just speculating how many people will be going back to watch “The Matrix” now to reevaluate it for clues to gender identity theory. I hope some academic gets a dissertation out of this. Hint, hint, all you PhD Celebitchy fans.
Interesting outoftheshoadows, in a sense this is absolutely in complete alignment with how I always viewed the Wachowski’s because of my reaction to V for Vendetta when it first came out the theaters. The scene “The letter” was the most moving story involving lgbt rights (in essence, human/civil rights) that I had even seen; I had tears streaming down my face, even dragged my dad to go see it with me again because I thought it was so incredible. In the years since, I search “the letter” scene on YouTube when I know I need a good emotional purge because it never fails to make me cry.
Fingers crossed for woman of the year!
Looking beautiful? Well, it appears that word has now officially lost all meaning.
Why? They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
To me – someone being confident and happy in their own skin is beautiful. Not held back, free to be themselves.
Lilly must work out! I want legs that defined. *side-eyes treadmill*
I hope she has an amazing support network. She did not deserve to be outed like that.
Also, Lea Michele. GIRL. Don’t schmooze someone in the audience when someone else is accepting an award.
Honking for Lilly! (Also her sister.)
When you see pictures of the sister’s since their transition, it is evident how happy they are. Such joy!
Season 2 of Sense8 is filming right now, so Lana probably stayed behind to stay in the loop.
Not to rag on Caitlyn Jenner, but it’s so refreshing to have someone who is intelligent and articulate talk about their experience.
I cannot wait for Sense8 premiere. Cannot wait. Its season one finale was open ended yet satisfying. It left you craving more because it respected (unlike TWD) & took you on such an incredible journey.
Also- her tattoo is friggin awesome.