Just Like Her Sister Before Her, Lilly Wachowski Has Come Out As Transgender

Around 3 years ago, Lana Wachowski, one half of The Wachowskis (the sibling directing duo who created hot lesbian thriller Bound, the Matrix movies, Sense8 and the cinematic dingle Jupiter Ascending) officially came out as transgender after years of rumors. Last night, Lilly Wachowski (formerly Andy Wachowski) also came out as transgender in a statement that was published on the Windy City Times. Lilly, seen above giving me slight shades of Martha Plimpton in a General Foods International Coffee commercial,  writes that she’s already fully transitioned, but she was forced to publicly come out after the highly-esteemed journal of integrity The Daily Mail pretty much pushed her to tell her story. (Side note: Lana and Lilly Wachowski sounds like the names of The Sweeney Sisters’ hot arch rivals.)

Lilly says that during the past year, a couple of publications threatened to “out” her, so she prepared a statement for when and if that happened. The publications decided not to publish the stories. But the other night, a British dude came to her door and introduced himself as a journalist from The Daily Mail. The serious journalist said that The Daily Mail is definitely not a tabloid and he told her that she “had to” let him interview her so she could share her “inspirational” story with the world. Lilly took his card and closed the door. Shockingly, Lilly turned down an interview with The Daily Mail. I know, who turns down an interview with The Daily Mail? Usually The Daily Mail does the turning down if an interviewee doesn’t meet their highly strict journalistic standards!

Lilly knew that she’d have to come out and say, “Yup, I’m transgender,” at one point since, you know, the fact is hard to hide. But doing interviews is a horror show to her and she wanted some time to get completely comfortable first. Since The Daily Mail probably would’ve run the story with or without her interview, she decided to beat those bitches to it. Here’s a small piece of what she wrote. Lilly’s full statement is here.

So yeah, 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 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.

But these words, “transgender” and “transitioned” are hard for me because they both have lost their complexity in their assimilation into the mainstream. There is a lack of nuance of time and space. To be transgender is something largely understood as existing within the dogmatic terminus of male or female. And to “transition” imparts a sense of immediacy, a before and after from one terminus to another. But the reality, 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.

The good news is that Lilly is now out out and can live her true life. But the BETTER news is that now that she’s come out as transgender, the face of the transgender movement, Caitlyn Jenner, is totally going to offer her and her sister a spot on Ted Cruz’s trans issues board. Congratulations, Lilly!