Trans actress Josie Totah: I was asked to leave school because I didn’t ‘fit in’
Josie Totah. (Sarah Morris/Getty)
Trans actress Josie Totah has said she was asked to leave school because she “didn’t fit in.”
Jessie star Totah, who came out as trans in August 2018, opened up about her “lowest points” at her elementary school in Sacramento, northern California.
Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign’s “Time to THRIVE” conference on Sunday (February 17), the 17-year-old actress said: “Looking back at my elementary school experience, I see a dark time.
“A time where I wasn’t allowed to be myself.
“I remember distinctly praying that I would get sick at school or even make myself get sick, so I could go home where I could leave my anxiety.”
Totah, who had a recurring part in Disney Channel’s Jessie series and was the starring role in ABC’s comedy sitcom Bach in the Game, picked up the HRC’s “Upstander Award” at the event.
My “lowest point” was in fifth grade, says Jodie Totah
Totah explained that at school “no one would want to sit with me or let play with me on the playground.”
The star continued: “One of the lowest points was probably in the fifth grade.
“My mom would get calls every other week with something I did or something someone did to me.”
Watch the HRC’s video with Josie Totah below:
One day, Totah’s mother was told that her teacher had held a class meeting and “took a vote whether they wanted me at their school.”
“According to my principal, it was unanimous and I was asked to leave because I didn’t ‘fit in,'” explained Totah.
“I felt unwanted and unloved.”
“We are loveable. We are capable of being loved and giving it right back.”
— Josie Totah
However, Totah said she moved to Los Angeles and went to a school there where she met the “most incredibly loving teachers.”
She said that her teachers at her new school “never made me feel unwelcome or unaccepted.”
We are loveable, says Josie Totah
And, the star added, she has recently become the first trans person to join a sorority at Chapman University in California, where she is currently a student.
“While the struggle for equality and civil rights continues, and there are people around you ready to take you down, there are people waiting to love you and to support you.
“They’re out there. I can attest to the that.
“We are loveable. We are capable of being loved and giving it right back.”
