Michael Kittrell has made a bold declaration.
And an even bolder decision about his life.
The Hollywood Hillbillies cast member, known to viewers of that Reelz Channel program as “Angry Ginger,” has announced on YouTube that he now wants to be known by another name:
Claire.
Indeed, Michael Kittrell says he is transgender and is in the process of becoming a woman.
In the following video, Kittrell says she has been undergoing hormone therapy for many months now.
"I"m not going to live another year of my life pretending to be someone else. I"m just not going to do it," she said in the emotional post.
"I know a lot of you are going to make fun of me. I know a lot of you are going to think that I"m joking. This is the hardest video I"ve ever made, because I"m not."
She"s aware that some critics may think this is a publicity stunt, but she has a very pointed response to those who take that viewpoint.
Claire tells TMZ it would be extremely "dark" for anyone to make a joke out of something so painful and something so personal to so many folks out there.
This is a real issue and it deserves to be treated with respect.
Kittrell does mention her very own grandmother isn"t fully buying this transition yet, but that it"s starting to sink in more and more every day to her.
Hollywood Hillbillies tells the story of Kittrell and his aforementioned grandmother, as they move from rural Georgia to Hollywood in order to take advantage of their 150 million-plus YouTube views.
In making this major announcement, Kittrell Tweeted a photo of herself as Claire. Here it is:
Claire adds below that she"s been in touch with Caitlyn Jenner, telling her many followers:
"I"m not going to pretend to be someone else anymore. Not in front of the camera and not behind one.
"It may seem cliché, but Caitlyn Jenner helped me out a lot. I know that she gets a lot of flack because she is a lady of means. She has a lot of money and not every trans person can look like her because she"s able to afford surgery."
Claire admits that she can"t afford surgery just yet, but that she"s at least happy for now that she"ll be living as her true self.
Watch the full explanation and video below and then join us in wishing Kittrell the very best of luck.
