Having gone public with their gender identity transition, the dancer admits that they are thankful for everyone who has 'supported and continued' to help them become their 'full self.'
- Jun 1, 2021
AceShowbiz - Zackery Torres is touched by the outpouring support they have received. Having declared that they are "transitioning" following their gender identity revelation, the "Dance Moms" star admitted that they are "grateful" to those who help them be their "full self."
In an Instagram post shared on Monday, May 31, the 22-year-old wrote, "Don't really have a ton of words to express how I am feeling right now, other than grateful. Grateful to everyone who has supported me and continued to help me be my full self." They added, "Grateful for the outpour of love and support. Grateful to all the advocates who made this possible."
Zackery also pointed out, "As I sit here with my mount still open, it is important to recognize the amount of LGBTQIA+ individuals who do not receive this loving response." The first season contestant of "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition" went on stressing that "there is still work to be done." Near the end, they declared, "I cannot wait to be a part of it. Much love, and HAPPY EARLY PRIDE MONTH!"
Zackery first made their transition announcement through a 30-second TikTok video uploaded on Sunday, May 30. "I realized I haven't posted on TikTok anything of myself since December, and life update -- I'm transitioning!" they revealed in a post titled "Life Update". As Dua Lipa's hit song "Levitating" played in the background, they explained, "That means I'm transgender if you didn't know."
@zackery_torres LIFE UPDATE! #fyp#foryou#dancemoms#viral#update#clasof2021
♬ Levitating - Dua Lipa
The dancer further noted, "My pronouns are they/she, which means that they or she are totally fine." They also said, "I'm just hopping on here to tell you that I'm going to be posting more on TikTok and I'm excited about it!"
Back in October 2020, Zackery opened up to the University of Southern California student newspaper The Daily Trojan that their time in the spotlight with "Dance Moms" affected their coming out.
"I started seeing all of the expectations that teachers - well-known dance teachers, and well-known choreographers - had for me as a male dancer growing up and at the time identifying as a boy," they reflected. "'Oh, you're too feminine, you need to dance like a man.' Just having teachers tell you that on national television, all this stuff, it kind of really got to me."
