'I felt like I was in the wrong body': Winnipeg-born actor helping families affected by anti-trans laws

A Winnipeg-born actor who has found big success in Hollywood is helping families impacted by anti-trans legislation, after navigating his own transition in the public eye.

Michael D. Cohen is a familiar face on the big and small screen, with credits including Henry’s World, Modern Family, 2 Broke Girls and Whiplash.

Away from the cameras, Cohen started transitioning from female to male in his 20s, and made the news public in 2019.

“I felt like I was born in the wrong body, and it took me a long time to be able to resolve that, and there's a lot of difficulty in that journey,” Cohen told CTV Morning Live Winnipeg’s Ainsley McPhail in an interview Tuesday.

“I think that it needs support and understanding, and so I advocate on behalf of that, especially with kids.”

Cohen said he made his transition public at an imperative time for transgender acceptance, crediting Laverne Cox’s Time Magazine cover declaring a transgender tipping point as a watershed moment.

At the time, Cohen was appearing as Schwoz on Nickelodeon’s “Henry Danger.” The studio was supportive, he says.

Michael D. Cohen is pictured on the set of "Henry Danger" in 2019, the same year he made his transition public. (Source: Instagram/ Michael D. Cohen)

“Believe it or not, (people) had a better understanding back in 2019, so it feels like we've kind of regressed a little bit,” he said.

“But it's been great. I've been able to do things that have helped, to assist and to support and advocate for people who have gone through what I've gone through.”

Part of that work is a partnership with the Trevor Project, Human Rights Campaign and other national LGBTQ2S+ organizations to host a four-part workshop to help families impacted by transgender legislation.

Michael D. Cohen is shown in costume as Schwoz in "Danger Force". (Source: Michael. D Cohen/Instagram)

He’s also hosted a trans acting challenge alongside Nickelodeon.

He hopes his profile on screen and in his advocacy work will also play a role in elevating trans understanding.

“There is so much misinformation out there right now,” he said.

“It’s important that people really get to understand what this means, what is this experience and essentially, it's something that an individual is born into born with, just like brown hair or blue eyes.”

- With files from CTV’s Ainsley McPhail