The Wachowski brothers of the Matrix trilogy fame, are now sisters. While Laurence came out as a transgender in 2012 and has been Lana Wachowski ever since, her sibling Andy Wachowski has now proudly introduced himself to the world as Lilly Wachowski.
Lilly, 48, declared her transition in a statement published in the Windy City Times saying,
My sister Lana and I have largely avoided the press. I find talking about my art frustratingly tedious and talking about myself a wholly mortifying experience. 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 Wachowski, Filmmaker
The LGBT community is strongly condemning the pressure and insistence of mainstream media on forcing out a confession from a transgender person, before he/she is fully prepared to come out on their own. Lilly details out in her essay how she couldn’t take the pressure anymore and was tired of nosy reporters showing up at her doorstep.
The reason I knew about her wasn’t because she was transgender it was because three months after the Daily Mail article came out, Lucy committed suicide. And now here they were, at my front door, almost as if to say “There’s another one! Let’s drag ‘em out in the open so we can all have a look!” Being transgender is not easy. We live in a majority-enforced gender binary world. This means when you’re transgender you have to face the hard reality of living the rest of your life in a world that is openly hostile to you. I am one of the lucky ones. Having the support of my family and the means to afford doctors and therapists has given me the chance to actually survive this process.Lilly Wachowski
Together, the Wachowskis have directed seven features, including the Matrix trilogy, Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas. They also co-created the Netflix series Sense8, a science-fiction fantasy about a group of people linked psychically, which explores transgender themes and stars transgender actress Jamie Clayton. Eddie Redmayne, who played the transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl, recently told the media that Lana Wachowski, who with Lilly had directed him in 2015’s Jupiter Ascending, was a great resource to him while preparing for his Oscar nominated performance role.
Transgender people without support, means and privilege do not have this luxury. And many do not survive. We are not predators, we are prey. 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.Lilly Wachowski
Lana and Lilly Wachowski have set a strong example for transgenders across the world. Their coming out against all odds, despite the painful memories of a troubled childhood, has opened channels for a larger discussion and much needed introspection in the gender binary world that we live in today.
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