WATCH: Glee character comes out as transgender
Warning: This article contains spoilers for an episode of Glee that is yet to broadcast in the UK.
A character on musical TV show ‘Glee’ has surprised fans by coming out as a transgender man.
Coach Beiste, played by Dot Marie Jones, made the revelation in an episode that aired in the US last night.
The character revealed to principal Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and former Glee club member Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) that he would be transitioning to male.
The character – who has appeared on the series as McKinley High’s football coach since the second season – revealed he had received a formal diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
He explained: “It’s where your outsides don’t match how you feel you are on the inside. This letter, is my first step into legally transitioning from a woman to a man.
“This isn’t about about who I want to to go to bed with, it’s about who I want to go to bed as.
“I’ve felt like this my whole life. Growing up I was really confused – I thought I was just a tomboy.
“No matter what I did, I never felt at home in my own skin. I never felt like my body matched who I was in the inside.
“I’ve got to do this for my own peace of mind, I’ve got to get my body in alignment with how I see myself.”
It is not the first time Glee has tackled gender issues, with former student Unique (Alex Newell) previously fighting for the right to a gender neutral toilet.
However, unlike in that incident, the usually mean-spirited Sue Sylvester was accepting of Coach Beiste – though she managed to get in a few sarcastic quips.
Dot Marie Jones opened up about the scenes to the Advocate, saying: “[It was] one the most emotional [set of] days I’ve ever had in my life. It was amazing.”
“My biggest thing is just being respectful.
“The last thing I want to do is disrespect anybody in what I’m portraying, and to do it respectfully and with class, and with dignity and pride, and I could not have been prouder than I was that day [that we filmed those scenes].”
Glee is currently airing its final season.
