Our Lady J: Difference between revisions

'''Our Lady J''' is a classical pianist, television writer, and singer-songwriter. She is a writer and producer for the television series ''Transparent'' and ''Pose''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ennis, Dawn|title=Transparent Creator on Show's First Trans Writer|date=December 4, 2014|work=The Advocate|url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2014/12/04/transparent-creator-shows-first-trans-writer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2017/10/pose-ryan-murphy-transgender-cast-fx-series-1202194718/|title=FX's 'Pose': Ryan Murphy Sets Largest Transgender Cast Ever For Scripted Series|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=2017-10-25|work=Deadline|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en-US}}</ref>

Our Lady J was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1978, growing up in an Amish community.<ref name="INTO" /> She attended Interlochen Center for the Arts from 1994 to 1996, majoring in piano during her junior and senior years of high school.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.interlochen.org/story/transparent-writer-plotting-her-own-journey|title=''Transparent'' writer on plotting her own journey|work=Interlochen Center for the Arts}}</ref> In 2000, she moved to New York City, where she freelanced as an accompanist.<ref name="Musto">{{Cite web |title=Our Lady J Evolves, One Dolly Parton Cover at a Time |last=Musto |first= Michael |work=New York Times |date=10 December 2014 |access-date=5 September 2020 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/style/our-lady-j-evolves-one-dolly-parton-cover-at-a-time.html}}</ref> In 2004, J became the musical director and accompanist for the Broadway performer Natalie Joy Johnson and came out as [[transgender]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-our-lady-j-transparent-first-trans-writer-20151211-story.html| title=Our Lady J, ''Transparent's'' first trans writer, discusses becoming part of the family |date=December 11, 2015|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> She grew to popularity in 2013 when releasing her critically acclaimed first studio album, ''Picture of a Man''.<ref name=Picture>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/24/our-lady-j-indiegogo-picture-of-a-man_n_3332247.html|title=Our Lady J's 'Picture of a Man' Album Indiegogo Campaign Features Celebrity Friends |date=May 24, 2014|accessdate=March 21, 2014|work=Huff Post}}</ref> Our Lady J has played piano at Carnegie Hall, American Ballet Theatre, and for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.<ref name="INTO" />

In a 2014 piece in the New York Times, Our Lady J said "I'm comfortable being a bit of both genders. [[Legal gender|Legally]], I'm 100 percent [[woman]] — I changed the 'M' to 'F' on all my papers — but now I want to change it to a question mark or an 'X'."<ref name="Musto" /> In a November 2016 video for [[Gender and social media sites|Tinder]], she said "My preferred gender is [[agender]], no gender."<ref>[https://youtu.be/XP90QAnmaA4?t=37 #AllTypesAllSwipes | Introducing More Genders | Product Release | Tinder], Nov 15, 2016</ref> However in a September 2017 interview on the podcast "LGBTQ&A", she said that was no longer accurate and she was now "[[gender nonconforming]] and [[gender fluid]]", but also a [[trans woman]].<ref name="INTO">{{Cite web |title=Our Lady J on Gender, Discrimination, & Hollywood Starting to "Get It Right" |author= |work=INTO |date=20 September 2017 |access-date=5 September 2020 |url= https://www.intomore.com/culture/our-lady-j-on-gender-discrimination-hollywood-starting-to-get-it-right/d82839748e024a3c}}</ref> On International Women's Day in March 2020, she tweeted about being [[Gender alignment|woman-aligned]] and nonbinary: