She followed the footsteps of sister Lana Wachowski who came out for the first time in public as a woman in July 2012.
- Mar 9, 2016
AceShowbiz - Andy Wachowski no longer identifies himself as a male. The one half of "The Matrix" filmmaker duo has come out as a transgender, introducing her new self as Lilly Wachowski.
Lilly released a statement to announce her transition via Windy City Media Group. "I'm transgender, and yeah, I've transitioned. I'm out to my friends and family. Most people at work know too. Everyone is cool with it. Yes, thanks to my fabulous sister [Lana Wachowski] they've done it before, but also because they're fantastic people. Without the love and support of my wife and friends and family I would not be where I am today," she wrote.
Lana, born Laurence Wachowski, came out of the closet and appeared for the first time in public as a woman in July 2012. Lilly thought this was the perfect time for her turn. "The 'news' has almost come out a couple of times. Each was preceded by an ominous email from my agent - reporters have been asking for statements regarding the 'Andy Wachowski gender transition' story they were about to publish ...My sister Lana and I have largely avoided the press," she said.
"I knew at some point I would have to come out publicly. You know, when you're living as an out transgender person it's kind of difficult to hide. I just wanted - needed some time to get my head right, to feel comfortable. But apparently I don't get to decide this," Lilly wrote, referring to the media's attempt to nearly out her.
She would not put the "transgender" and "transitioned" label on her because the terms had "lost their complexity in their assimilation to the mainstream." She explained, "My reality is that I've been transitioning and will continue to transition all of my life, through the infinite that exists between male and female as it does in the infinite between the binary of zero and one. We need to elevate the dialogue beyond the simplicity of binary. Binary is a false idol."
So far, Lilly has received positive reactions from the LGBT community. GLAAD's director of programs for transgender media Nick Adams told PEOPLE, "GLAAD is thrilled that Lilly Wachowski is able to be her true and authentic self today, however, she should not have been forced to disclose her transgender identity before she was ready to do so. Journalists must learn that it is unacceptable to out a transgender person, in the same way it is unacceptable to out a person who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual."
