Jacob Tobia is an American activist, writer, producer, television host, and actor. In 2019, they published their memoir titled '' Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story''. They also provided the voice of Double Trouble in DreamWorks' animated series ''

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' is an American Animated series, animated superhero television series developed by ND Stevenson and produced by DreamWorks Animation Television for Netflix. It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of the 1985 Fil ...

''. Tobia has been recognized in

Forbes 30 Under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by ''Forbes'' magazine since 2011 consisting of 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 people, with 30 selected in each of 20 sect ...

and

Out100 ''Out'' is an American LGBTQ news, fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any LGBTQ monthly publication in the United States. ''Out'' was owned by Robert Hardman of Boston, its orig ...

Early life and education

Tobia's grandparents were

Syrians Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine Arabic, Levantine and Mesopotamian Arabic, Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The culture of Syria, cultural ...

who immigrated to the United States in the 1950s and spoke

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, which Tobia says is "the language that I do not speak but wish I could." Tobia was raised in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, by a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

family. They graduated in 2010 from Raleigh Charter High School, serving as president of the Gay-Straight Alliance and being active in student government. Tobia applied to

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and was accepted, but chose to attend

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

instead, where they graduated ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' with a degree in Human Rights Advocacy. While a student at Duke, Tobia served as the vice president of equity and outreach for Duke Student Government, was co-president of Blue Devils United, and was president of Duke Students for Gender Neutrality.

Career and activism

Tobia is a Point Foundation Scholar, Harry S. Truman Scholar, and a recipient of the Campus Pride National Voice and Action Award. Their writing has been featured on

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...

'', ''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

,'' and other media outlets. They've also served on conference panels and spoken at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, and various LGBTQ conferences across the United States. They worked for the

United Nations Foundation The United Nations Foundation is a charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that supports the United Nations and its activities. It was established in 1998 with a $1billion gift to the United Nations by philanthropist Ted Turn ...

, the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...

, and the

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is an international charitable foundation based in the United States focused on human rights of LGBT people, intersex people, and people of color. The organization provide grants to individuals and org ...

before starting a career in television. In September 2013, Tobia raised over $10,000 for the

Ali Forney Center The Ali Forney Center (AFC), based in New York City, is the largest LGBT community center helping LGBTQ homeless youth in the United States. The AFC both manages and develops transitional housing for its clients. AFC helps approximately 2,000 ...

running across the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...

in five-inch heels as part of their Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) commitment to action. They were recently honored again for their larger impact on the LGBTQIA+ community by CGI U in 2018 at the University of Chicago. Tobia was featured in

's ''The T Word'', where they were interviewed by

Laverne Cox Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBTQ advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series '' Orange Is the New Black'', becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a ...

. In 2015, Tobia was profiled in the

GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...

Award-nominated episode of ''True Life: I'm Genderqueer'' by MTV. In 2016 they were named in ''Out'''s ''100''. Later in 2016, Tobia created, co-produced, and hosted ''Queer 2.0'', an original LGBTQ series for

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

In 2017, Tobia moved from New York to Los Angeles to begin working on Season 4 of

Joey Soloway Joey Soloway (born Jill Soloway; September 26, 1965) is an American television creator, showrunner, director and writer. Soloway is known for creating, writing, executive producing and directing the Amazon original series '' Transparent'', winnin ...

's series '' Transparent''. Tobia also provided the voice of Double Trouble in season 4 of ''

.'' In 2018, Tobia became the face of an advertising campaign for the gender non-conforming makeup brand Fluide, promoting a line of lip colors named after

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

spaces, such as gay bars.

''Sissy''

In June 2017, Tobia announced the release of a memoir titled ''Sissy''. The book sold in a six-figure deal to Putnam Books and was released in March 2019. Tobia was featured as a guest on

Trevor Noah Trevor Noah (born 20 February 1984) is a South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He was the host of ''The Daily Show'', an American late-night talk show and satirical news program on Comedy ...

's ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' to promote the book. They discussed the term "gender chill," gendered violence, and the playful nature of non-binary genders. ''Sissy'' was well-received by

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

, in which

Sarah McBride Sarah Elizabeth McBride (born August 9, 1990) is an American activist and politician who is the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party (United ...

wrote, " obiacombines incisive wit and undeniable intelligence to invite readers into their journey as a gender-nonconforming young person in North Carolina...If Tobia aspires to the ranks of comic memoirists like

David Sedaris David Raymond Sedaris ( ; born December 26, 1956) is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay " Santaland Diaries". He published his first col ...

and

Mindy Kaling Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Known for her work on television, she has received a Tony Awa ...

, ''Sissy'' succeeds." In November 2019,

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

announced they are developing a half-hour show based on Tobia's memoir ''Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story''. Tobia will serve as co-writer and co-executive producer for the adaptation alongside Michael Lannan, the co-creator of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series, ''

Looking Looking is the act of intentionally focusing visual perception on someone or something, for the purpose of obtaining information, and possibly to convey Interest (emotion), interest or another sentiment. A large number of Troponymy, troponyms ex ...

''. The series will follow the life of Tobi Gibran, a non-binary student who moves from North Carolina to New York City.

Personal life

Tobia identifies as

genderqueer Non-binary or genderqueer gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gender that is differ ...

and uses ''they/she'' pronouns.

Published works

* ''Transgender Today: Jacob Tobia'' for ''

'' *''I am neither Mr, Mrs nor Ms but Mx'' for ''

'' *''Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gender-Neutral Pronouns'' for Motto by ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' *''An Open Letter to North Carolina's Lawmakers from a Trans North Carolinian'' for ''

Women's Health Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Often treated ...

'' *''Telling Trans Stories Beyond 'Born in the Wrong Body'' for

*''I Have Long Nails Because I'm Proud Of What They Mean'' for BuzzFeed *''The 1970s Feminist Who Warned Against Leaning In'' for BuzzFeed *''An Affront against All Women'' for New America Weekly *''Trans Fashion is Not (Necessarily) Trans Empowerment'' for Hooligan Magazine *''How Student Activists at Duke Transformed a $6 Billion Endowment'' for ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' *''Where I Belong'' for Duke Magazine *''LGBTQIA: A Beginner's Guide to the Great Alphabet Soup Of Queer Identity'' for Mic *''To All the Married Gay Couples Out There: The Fight Doesn't End With DOMA's Ruling'' for Mic *''Obama Morehouse Speech: Was the President Unintentionally Transphobic?'' for Mic *''The Power of Trans Vulnerability'' for ''

'' *''Five Dos and Five Don'ts for College Seniors (From a Point Scholar Who's Been There)'' for ''The Huffington Post'' *''Dear Mr. President: Students Ask Obama to Protect LGBT Employees'' for ''The Huffington Post'' *''Why You Should Be Optimistic After Amendment One: A North Carolinian's Perspective'' for ''The Huffington Post'' *''Why I'm Genderqueer, Professional and Unafraid'' for ''The Huffington Post'' *''The Orlando Shooting Was An Act Of Hate'' for

*''How To Talk To Your Parents About Being Genderqueer'' for

*''Sissy Diaries: The Harsh Realities of Dating for Gender-Nonconforming Femmes'' for ''Them'' *''I'm Genderqueer — Please Stop Asking Me When I'm 'Really' Going To Transition'' for

*''Jacob Tobia - Promoting a “Gender-Chill” Exploration of Identity with “Sissy” , The Daily Show with Trevor Noah''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tobia, Jacob Living people 1991 births American non-binary actors American non-binary writers Activists from North Carolina American people of Syrian descent American television hosts American television producers American voice actors Duke University alumni American LGBTQ rights activists American LGBTQ broadcasters LGBTQ Methodists LGBTQ television producers LGBTQ people from North Carolina Queer feminists American queer writers American queer actors Transfeminists People from Raleigh, North Carolina Non-binary activists 21st-century American actors 21st-century American writers 21st-century American LGBTQ people Non-binary Christians