This week, a local TV news reporter in Iowa revealed on-air that she will now identify as a transgender woman.
Nora J.S. Reichardt, who has been reporting for Local 5 news WOI-TV under a different name since July 2021, stated that she did not believe for a long time that she would be able to reveal her identify on television.
She remarked, “I didn’t know if there was a place and a space for me to do the kind of work I’ve grown to love and appreciate, while also being myself as I do it.”
However, around one year later, 24-year-old Reichardt reintroduced herself to the community and discussed her transition experience.
Reichardt made the revelation during a news broadcast about her transitioning journey, which coincidentally occurred on the same day she formally filed for a name change with the Iowa courts.
This week, Nora J.S. Reichardt of WOI-TV reintroduced herself to the world by announcing during a newscast that she will now identify as a transgender woman.
Reichardt (shown in 2019 prior to transitioning) stated that when she wore slacks and button-up shirts to work, she felt like “someone I didn’t really feel like.”
Reichardt stated that she came to terms with her identity as a transgender woman over the course of several years and began a medical transition in September 2021.
She remarked, “It has been incredible to be able to experience and share with others my slow transition into a position in which I feel more at home in my body than I ever have before.”
Reichardt stated in an interview with a friend, KARE 11’s Eva Andersen, a former reporter for Local 5 News, that she had transgender inclinations in high school. However, she added that her Minnesota area is rural and that she “didn’t even have the words to describe how I felt.” Reichardt stated in an interview with KARE 11’s Eva Andersen, a former reporter for Local 5 News, that she had transgender inclinations in high school.
Reichardt, who has reported for Local 5 news WOI-TV under a different name since July 2021, stated that for a long time she did not believe she would be able to reveal her identify on air.
She claimed that when she wore slacks and button-down shirts to work, she felt like “someone I didn’t truly feel like.”
‘Sometime after I began being on air, I hit a personal breaking point when I questioned why I don’t like the person I see every time I go out into the field. Why can’t I connect with this individual? Why wouldn’t I want to be that individual?’
This reporter is not the first to make this announcement. In August, ESPN journalist M.A. Voepel tweeted that he is transitioning and would use male pronouns.
As part of the transitioning process, Reichardt sought hormone replacement therapy and has been taking estradiol to enhance estrogen levels and medication to limit testosterone output.
Reichardt also discussed letting her hair grow out, selecting a new outfit, and undergoing laser hair removal.
There was a period of time when everyone in my life, with the exception of viewers at home, knew me as Nora. [I felt like] I was separating myself in two.’
Her name would also be unfamiliar to people accustomed to watching her on television.
She added, “When I told the people at home that everything was going to change, that the name under my headshot was going to appear a little different on broadcast, I wanted to feel as prepared as possible to make that leap because there are expectations that come with it.”
Anderson inquired why the name Nora was chosen.
Reichardt explained, “I had a list of around a dozen girl names that I thought were cute, and I silently experimented with calling myself by them to see how they felt.”
“After a few weeks of sifting through it, I eliminated all but a few contenders, and Nora remained.
She continued by saying that she “sort of feels like I’ve shed the pieces of myself that aren’t me.” And transforming what remains into something superior. Something more like me.’
Reichardt remarked that when she wore slacks and button-down shirts to work, she felt like “someone I didn’t really feel like.”
Reichardt pursued a medical intervention but also grew out her hair, purchased new clothing, and had laser hair removal as part of the transitioning process.
Reichardt stated that she has received positive feedback from the individuals she has informed and that she considers herself “extremely lucky that practically everyone I have informed has been immediately affirming and supportive.”
‘Being trans is not a burden. If someone entrusts you with this information, it indicates that you have value in their eyes. And they are eager to share it with others.’
She continued, ‘I hope that if you ever find yourself in a situation when someone is telling you something similar about themselves, the greatest thing you can say is, ‘I’m glad.’ I’m delighted you trust me, I’m glad you’re being yourself, and what can I do for you?
Reichardt continued, “Everyone requires something unique. Every trans person has distinct standards about their level of comfort with their deceased name and similar matters. Just ask. We are not frightening, in my opinion. There is a feeling that because people rarely encounter someone like me, they don’t even know where to begin.
Reichardt would for the community to know that she remains much the same person she was before.
I still know too much about Spider-Man. Still, I play video games far too frequently for my own benefit. On my days off, you can typically find me in one of Des Moines’s coffee shops, where I still enjoy reading. “Nothing has changed,” she stated.
I still consider myself to be inquisitive and passionate about my work, and I’d like to believe I’m a pleasant person.
‘One of my most important guiding principles is that I hope everyone I encounter is glad to have met me, regardless of the nature of our interaction. I simply hope that I am a constructive influence on people’s life, whether large or small. And as long as it remains true despite everything else, the rest is noise.’
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