Josie Totah is standing in her truth.

In an essay for TIME, the teen star revealed she identifies as a transgender female. "Acting has always been my passion. I'm grateful for roles I've gotten to play on shows like Champions, and I know I'm lucky to be able to do what I love," the 17-year-old, who had worked under the name J.J. Totah, said. "But I also feel like I let myself be shoved into a box: 'J.J. Totah, gay boy.'"

During her formative years in Northern California, Totah recalled how "people would just assume I was gay." Once she began acting professionally, "People kept assuming my identity."

Totah, who found fame via a recurring role on the children's television series Jessie, was often asked in interviews "how it feels to be a young gay man." In fact, the 17-year-old star wrote, "I was even introduced that way before receiving an award from an LGBTQ+ rights organization." Sometimes, Totah recalled she "halfway corrected people by telling them I identify as LGBTQ."

The actress, who went on to star in ABC's Back in the Game, Fox's Glee and NBC's Champions, feared if she came out publicly, she wouldn't be accepted or she would be embarrassed. She also worried that "fans who knew me from the time when I acted in a Disney show would be confused." In recent years, she realized "hiding my true self is not healthy. I know now, more than ever, that I'm finally ready to take this step toward becoming myself. I'm ready to be free."