Director Lilly Wachowski made her first public appearance since coming out as transgender at the GLAAD Media Awards held April 2 in Beverly Hills, California.
"My flight instinct is off the charts right now but you have to fight against it," Wachowski told TheWrap of her nerves. She and trans sister Lana attended the event in support of her Netflix series Sense8.
Windy City Times broke the news about Lilly on March 8. ( That article is at www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Second-Wachowski-filmmaker-sibling-comes-out-as-trans-/54509.html . ) In an article sent to the publication, she said, in part: "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'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."
The awards also included a surprise appearance by singer Taylor Swift, who presented actress/model Ruby Rose with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award. Nick Jonas, Demi Lovato, Queen Latifah, Caitlyn Jenner, Patricia Arquette, and Ross Mathews were just a few of other stars who attended the event.
Some of the night's other winners included HBO's Bessie; the shows Sense8, Transparent, and The Bold and the Beautiful; and Lovato, who received the Vanguard Award from Jonas.
Additional awards will be presented at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City at the historic Waldorf Astoria on Saturday, May 14. Tickets are available now at glaad.org/mediaawards.
TheWrap's item is at http://www.thewrap.com/lilly-wachowski-makes-first-public-appearance-at-glaad-media-awards-photo/#.dpuf.
For more about GLAAD, see GLAAD.org .