American University's Student Body President Comes Out, Gets Lady Gaga's Support

Students at American University got a big surprise when the most recent student body president stepped down from the position last week. Students had elected Tim McBride to serve last year, without realizing that McBride identifies as a woman. She came out as transgender publicly after serving her time as student body president.

Diane Anderson-Minshall

Diane Anderson-Minshall is the CEO of Pride Media, and editorial director of The Advocate, Out, and Plus magazine. She's the winner of numerous awards from GLAAD, the NLGJA, WPA, and was named to Folio's Top Women in Media list. She and her co-pilot of 30 years, transgender journalist Jacob Anderson-Minshall penned several books including Queerly Beloved: A Love Across Genders.

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Diane Anderson-Minshall

May 09 2012 1:24 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Students at American University got a big surprise when the most recent student body president stepped down from the position earlier this month. Students had elected Tim McBride to serve last year, without realizing that McBride identifies as a woman. She came out as transgender publicly after serving her time as student body president.

McBride told ABC News in D.C., "If I could make the world a little more accepting and little more fairer, it would somehow make me feel complete." The 21-year-old said she feels like she's finally "in the right skin" after coming out and living openly as a woman.

"I go to school in an environment that's accepting. The hardest part for me was coming to terms with it in relation to my ego, in my relation to my ambitions and my dreams," she told ABC. "I realized as fulfilling as it was professionally to work on issues of equality and fairness, it only underscored my own internal struggles more."

She's been met with plenty of support from students (the university's student newspaper, The Eagle, published an essay from McBride about her struggle to come out) and LGBT activists (Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation tweeted support).