Jacob Tobia is an award-winning writer, producer, actor, and TV host. An advocate for LGBTQ+ rights from an early age, Jacob became the president of the Gay-Straight Alliance after graduating from high school. While attending Duke University, Tobia served as vice president of Equity and Outreach.
Today, major media outlets including MSNBC, MTV, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Jezebel Magazine have all featured Tobia and their writing. Prior to starting a career in television, Tobia worked for the United Nations and other human rights organizations.
Let’s dig into what makes them such an inspiration.
Jacob Tobia at a glance
Tobia was born in raised in Raleigh, North Carolina where they grew up as within a Methodist religious background. Jacob’s grandparents originally emigrated from Syria in the 1950s.
- Birthday: August 7, 1991
- Height: 6’0″
- Nationality: American
- Current City: Los Angeles, CA
Jacob Tobia identifies as genderqueer and is a major LGBTQ+ advocate
Jacob is genderqueer and uses the pronouns “they” and “them.” In 2017, they released their memoir entitled Sissy. The book which details their challenges growing up queer, went on to become a bestseller and received a positive review from The New York Times Book Review. In 2018, Tobia proudly graced ad campaigns for Fluide – the gender-bending makeup brand which officially shut down in December 2022.
Their work has gotten them in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, as well as the Out 100.
Jacob’s TV resume is as impressive as their activism
If you don’t know of Jacob from their impressive career in activism, you may have seen them in some of their acting or voice roles.
MTV featured Tobia in the network’s documentary, The T Word. In the production, transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox interviewed Tobia. MTV also highlighted Tobia as the star of a series episode entitled Truelife: I’m Genderqueer. Tobia’s episode of the long-running series received an award nomination from GLAAD.
In 2017, Tobia relocated to Los Angeles to work on season four of the LGBTQ-themed comedy-drama Transparent and to become the voice of Double Trouble, a non-binary character in the animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
Jacob admires Double Trouble’s shape-shifting ability
Landing the role of Double Trouble in the She-Ra series was monumental in Tobia’s career as a nonbinary actor.
Upon being hired to voice the shape-shifting character, Tobia noted that they would love to be able to change their body at will and live as different genders in the physical world.
Tobia also reflected on being a self-proclaimed nerd who enjoyed animated shows as a child. They noted that Double Trouble practices a skill set many trans and non-binary people acquire as they learn to shape the way they present themselves to navigate the world and survive different situations.
Related:
Jacob starred in a ground-breaking 10-minute movie
Tobia starred in Valentine, a short film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022. Based on the experiences of the project’s co-directors Beck Kitsis and Chris McNabb, the impactful short film depicts the emotions that arise when the cis-presenting main characters explore gender expression within their long-term, committed relationship.
Tobia describes the film as an experience that is “all too real” for many transgender people who have explored gender expression while in a relationship.
Jacob originally came out as gay at 16
They describe themself as a child who “wanted it all” and “had too much gender.” As a child, they enjoyed well-rounded interests ranging from playing with Barbie dolls and dancing to pop music to reading science books and playing in the woods.
Tobia notes that when they came out at 16, they thought they were solving the problem by choosing a label when, in reality, gender exists on a spectrum. When Jacob began to identify as non-binary, they realized that instead of having one distinct moment of “coming out,” they were engaging in a gradual process of self-discovery.
Revolutionary, creative, and multifaceted
Jacob Tobia continues to inspire members of the LGBTQ community through their writing, their activism, and their career in media and entertainment as an actor, host, and producer.
We’re excited to see them back in the limelight and pushing queer representation further than ever.
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