Deep down, my mom had long suspected I was gay... Much of her anger and hurt came from her sense of betrayal that she was the last to be told.

When I realised I was transgender I was so afraid of what my transition would do to everyone else in my life and how they would react to it and would I be rejected?

Being self-supporting is important to me.

People who don't have gender dysphoria aren't going to catch it by watching me dance on television.

I had felt uncomfortable as a woman my whole life.

For me, it was never a question of whether or not I was transgender. It was a question of what I'd be able to handle transitioning and having to do it in the public eye. One of the issues that was hard for me to overcome was the fear of that.

I don't have the luxury of doing things privately.