US news reporter announces she is transgender during news broadcast

A US news reporter bravely decided to announce she was transgender live on that evening’s news program to her viewers.

News reporter Nora JS Reichardt told to tell her viewers on air of her transition. Picture: ABC Local News 5.

An US news reporter has come out as a transgender woman during her local news program.

Nora JS Reichardt, a multiskilled journalist for ABC US’ Local 5 News in Des Moines, Iowa, reintroduced herself to the community on the same day she legally changed her name.

“I didn’t know if there was a place and a space for me to do this sort of work that I’ve really come to love and enjoy, while also getting to be myself while I do it,” she said during her segment.

The 24-year-old explained that she had thought about her gender identity since high school, but growing up in a rural area and with society not being as open with gender as it is today, she was unable to even find the words to express her feelings.

News reporter Nora JS Reichardt told to tell her viewers on air of her transition. Picture: ABC Local News 5.

The segment, presented by Reichardt (right), including some clips of her on the news pre-transition. Picture: ABC Local News 5.

Reichardt says that she realised something was wrong after she started working as a reporter and didn’t “connect” with the person on the screen, reported the New York Post.

She began hormonal treatments and the medical transition in September 2021.

“There was a decent span of time where everyone in my life functionally knew me as Nora, except for the viewers at home,” Reichardt said.

Reichardt said she didn’t connect with her body. Picture: ABC Local News 5.

The segment, presented by Reichardt herself, included snippets of her former reports when she presented as a man.

Reichardt stepped away from work before making her announcement to the viewers at home to ensure she could accomplish everything she wanted to for the transition before returning and breaking the news.

Hi, everyone! I've been away from the spotlight for a few weeks, but I'm back and I've got some news to share. My name is Nora J.S. Reichardt, and in addition to being an on-air reporter for @weareiowa5news, I'm a transgender woman 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️ pic.twitter.com/6m155gV4Mf

— Nora J.S. Reichardt 🏳️‍⚧️ (@Nora_JSR) October 4, 2022

“It’s hard to describe how it feels to finally share that,” Reichardt said on Twitter.

“For a long time, my own body felt foreign and wrong to me, and transitioning has been the first time I’ve felt like myself in my 24 years of life.”

She added that she’s the person she was before but now is noticeably happier, not just from her recognition but also to the people in her life.

According to News 5’s website, Reichardt attended Drake University, where she graduated with degrees in news and sociology.

ESPN journalist MA Voepel announced on Twitter in August about his transition and that he would use male pronouns from then on.

This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.

Originally published as US news reporter announces she is transgender during news broadcast