I Am Tshiamo

By Tshiamo Modisane

Growing up as Kgositsile, meaning ‘king’, Tshiamo Modisane always knew that she was a girl despite her assigned birth gender.

This talented child of a pastor from KwaThema and Daveyton townships near Johannesburg was expected to conform to conservative black culture’s expectations for a male, and would endure censure and even abuse from family, friends, peers and strangers into adulthood.

A journey of both self-doubt and self-belief

Yet Tshiamo began making courageous choices at the age of five, a journey of both self-doubt and self-belief that culminated in gender-affirmation surgery in her thirties.

With sass, faith and baked-in confidence from her family ties to the entertainment world, she successfully transitioned from male to female while navigating a career as an actress, celebrity stylist and Lux’s first gender-non-conforming brand ambassador.

As admirable as it is affirming, this poignant memoir examines past hurts and present truths, and opens up a sorely needed discussion about unconditional acceptance.

As a child I would often lie awake at night, praying that through some miracle I would be woken up by people who had come to take me back to my rightful family, and that those I had come to know as my parents would tell me the truth: that I was, in fact, adopted and had been born a girl and they had had a doctor operate on me.

About the author

Tshiamo Modisane is an actress, celebrity stylist, podcast host, content producer, creative director, and brand ambassador. She is Lux’s first gender-non-conforming brand ambassador.

Kgositsile, meaning “king,” was the name she grew up with. From an early age, she knew she was a girl, despite the gender assigned to her at birth. Throughout her life, she faced censure and abuse from family, friends, peers and strangers.