Dance Moms' Zackery Torres Made A Big Announcement About Their Gender Identity

Zackery Torres has a big announcement for fans, as they revealed through a TikTok on May 31.

The reality star first entered the limelight through the "Dance Moms" franchise, as Page Six reported, becoming the first-ever assigned male at birth contestant on "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition" and going on to join the original show's Candy Apple team. Torres, who later came out as non-binary, has opened up in the past about how the dance world affected their gender identity while growing up.

"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," the dancer told The Daily Trojan in October 2020, revealing how they were criticized for being "too feminine" and not dancing enough like a man. "Just having teachers tell you that on national television, all this stuff, it kind of really got to me."

They also promised "to empower the next generation like the ones before did for me" in an Instagram post for 2020's Transgender Day of Remembrance. "I thank all of the people that have supported me through the years while I grew, and continue to grow, into who I am today," Torres wrote. "It's that unwavering support that gets me up in the morning when I am feeling defeated, and more importantly, it's what keeps me feeling empowered to advocate."

And now the former "Dance Moms" star is empowering their transgender fans by sharing the next step in their journey.

As People reported, Zackery Torres has announced that they are officially transitioning.

The reality star shared their life update on TikTok, telling fans the news about their gender identity. "That means I'm transgender if you didn't know," Torres added. "My pronouns are they/she, which means that they or she are totally fine." They concluded the video by promising that they would be posting more on TikTok as their journey continued.

After the news broke, Torres took to Instagram to express their gratitude for the public's reaction. "Don't really have a ton of words to express how I am feeling right now, other than grateful," they wrote, describing how moved they were by the support they received. "Grateful to everyone who has supported me and continued to help me be my full self. Grateful for the outpour of love and support. Grateful to all the advocates who made this possible."

"It is important to recognize the amount of LGBTQIA+ individuals who do not receive this loving response. There is still work to be done, and I cannot wait to be a part of it," Torres added, before wishing their followers a happy early Pride month.