In two separate interviews with The San Francisco Chronicle and Breakfast Television in Toronto, IMPACT Wrestling star Gisele Shaw opened up on her decision to come out as transgender.

Speaking to Breakfast Television, Shaw stated, “The news is that today, I am truly living my life to the fullest, truly authentic and I am transgender and I’m very proud. It’s super scary, but the more I speak about it, I feel it just gets normalized and I feel more free and accepting of my own self and loving myself, I think that’s really important.”

Additionally, in an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, Shaw stated, “There is really no perfect time to be coming out, it’s my journey, now just felt right for me. Coming from an Asian background, being the olest, there was an unsaid rule, the expectation was that I would carry the family name, that I would set an example, that I would take care of my sisters. There was a lot of pressure from my parents to be great. My sisters were so important, asking how can you feel like you have failed as a parent, Gisele gets to live her dream, if you want us to look to look up to someone, why not someone living their dream and being the best version of themselves. That was an eye-opener for my parents.”

Shaw, who will face off against Rosemary as part of next week’s episode of IMPACT Wrestling on AXS TV will be making an appearance as part of the Trans Rally & March in Toronto today in a speaking role, while she will also be attending the Pride Parade tomorrow.