Jesse James Keitel is a transgender woman and uses she/her pronouns. Previously, she identified as a non-binary person and used the gender-neutral they/them pronouns.
Jesse James Keitel is an American actress, writer, and artist who has been active in the movie industry since 2013. She first gained mainstream recognition for her portrayal of Ryan Miller in Miller & Son, a 2019 live-action short film directed by Asher Jelinsky, a famous non-binary filmmaker. Thereafter, she pulled off a groundbreaking casting as Jerrie Kennedy in the ABC crime drama series Big Sky. With this, she made history as the first openly queer series regular on ABC. Jesse then consolidated that with her role as Ruthie, a trans woman, in Queer as Folk.
Is Jesse James Keitel a Man or a Woman?
Jesse James Keital is a transgender woman and uses she/her pronouns. This means that when the Big Sky actress was born on the 26th of June 1993, she was born as a male but later transitioned. For one to identify as a transgender woman, it means the person was assigned male at birth but has a female gender identity. Because of that, they are said to suffer from gender dysphoria, a distressing condition triggered by the inconsistency between their “true” gender identity and the one they were assigned at birth.
Jesse James Keitel must have lived through this. She identified as nonbinary before she embraced being a transgender woman. Being non-binary means that your gender identity is neither male nor female. Jesse went by the pronouns they/them when she identified as non-binary, indicating at that point that she didn’t think of herself as either male or female. This is now in the past, as the actress has now made it clear that she loves being a woman.
When Did She Transition, and Did She Undergo Any Form of Surgery?
It is hard to tell when Jesse James Keitel began her transition journey. All we can confirm is that she was born a male and now identifies as a female. Nothing indicates that she has gone through surgery to transition into a trans woman. Contrary to the widely-held assumption, getting surgery isn’t a requirement for transitioning.
To transition, you only have to make changes that enable you to live your life comfortably in your gender identity. For some people, these changes could be a change of name, undergoing gender-affirming medical care, or adopting a new style of dressing. So, at the core of any gender transitioning journey is an aim to deal with gender dysphoria.
For the trained eyes, Jesse’s pictures suggest she has gone through hormone therapy. However, we can’t authoritatively confirm this. The therapy is often used by transgender women to produce physical bodily changes that are stirred by female hormones during puberty.
In all, the actress hasn’t really disclosed much about her journey toward becoming a trans woman. But in a 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jesse shared that the transitioning story of her character in Queer as Folk resonated with her situation in real life. She told the media outfit that she gasped and cried when she first read the script for the role. “I saw myself reflected… I saw my own lived experience,” she said.
Is Jesse James Keitel Gay?
Jesse James Keitel is not gay. Although the actress is widely regarded to be gay, this is not necessarily the case. However, it is not hard to see why people have assumed and upheld she is gay. It boils down to the misconception about people’s sexual orientation and gender identity. People often take sexual preference and gender identity to mean the same thing and assume that all transgender people are gay. This is not the case.
While transgender solely defines a person’s gender identity, sexual orientation defines their sexual preference. So, transgender people, like those who are cisgender, can be straight or gay, asexual, pansexual, queer, and what have you. On that premise, one can assert that the widely-held thought of Jesse James Keitel being gay is based on a faulty notion.
For her to be gay, she has to be sexually attracted to people of the same sex as her. This might be the case for the actress, but we don’t know for sure. While she has been open about her gender identity, she has said little to nothing about her sexual preference. Until she does so, one cannot conclusively proclaim her gay.
However, given the fact she is dating a man at the moment, it wouldn’t be out of place to describe Jesse James Keitel as straight.
Jesse James Keitel is Engaged to Producer, AJ Lebens
The American actress has been in a relationship with a man identified as AJ Lebens for many years. Although Lebens is not as popular as Jesse James Keitel, he also works in the entertainment industry, but behind the scenes. He is the producer of the comedy series Pity Applause, which stars Paul Gabriellini, Eric Striffler, Lee Becker, and Kyle Vigorito. Between 2016 and 2017, he produced at least 18 episodes of the series.
Lebens is also credited under special effects in Mic & Me, a 2017 short comedy-drama film written and directed by Jacob Shao. The 12-minute film stars his partner Jesse James Keitel alongside Samantha Nugent. Lebens has been a part of the motion pictures industry since 2012 when he featured as a body double in It Happens Fast, a short, drama, sci-fi film directed by Eric Striffler.
It is not clear how Jesse and AJ met; neither is it known what attracted them to each other. While how they fell in love remains a mystery to the public, it has been reported in several quarters that they met sometime in 2010. They reportedly began dating shortly after and have been together ever since. Jesse has been quite open about their relationship. She has several loved-up pictures of her and her boyfriend all over her social media pages.
The couple decided to take their relationship to the next level in 2019. They got engaged and then spent the Coronavirus lockdown together at their home in New York City. While they have been engaged for several years now, they have yet to tie the knot.
FAQs
Is Jesse James Keitel Trans?
Jesse James Keitel is Trans, which means that her assigned gender at birth was male, and she later transitioned to female.
What is Jesse James Keitel’s Birth Name?
Jesse James Keitel’s birth name is Jesse James Keitel. Though some people change their names after transitioning, she has chosen not to go that route but kept her birth name.
Is Jesse James Keitel Male or Female?
Jesse James Keitel is female. She was born male but transitioned to female, which makes her a Trans woman and, therefore, female.
Is Jesse James Keitel Related To Harvey Keitel?
Jesse James Keitel is related to Harvey Keitel as Jesse’s grandfather Jerome Keitel is a cousin of Harvey’s.