In 2012 Lana Wachowski, once known as Larry Wachowski, made her first public appearance as a woman during the promotional run for their film Cloud Atlas.
Four years on, her sister Lilly Washowski has made the defiant and brave decision to do the same. Unfortunately the circumstances of Lilly's decision to reveal her true identity arose from the pressure of being outed by the Daily Mail.
In a statement released in Chicago's LGBT paper Windy Times, Lilly explained the reasoning behind her decision to identify herself publicly;
"In response to this threatened public outing against my will, I had prepared a statement that was one part piss, one part vinegar and 12 parts gasoline," Lilly writes, "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."
She goes on to say; "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."
The sister-duo, who are usually notoriously private, have taken the decision to use their platform in the public eye to fight against gender prejudice, support those who are transitioning and open a discussion on gender fluidity.
To read Lilly Wachowski's statement in full, click here
Alternatively, you can watch her sister's, Lana Waschowski, acceptance speech for a HRC Visibility award in 2012;