ABC editor Don Ennis reveals that he was not a transgender woman after all
Don Ennis made headlines in May when he came out publicly as Dawn, a transgender woman. The New York Post reported that he had been fed female hormones as a child which may have affected his physical identity. In a May 3 Facebook post, Ennis said he had tried for years to reverse the involuntary changes taking place in his body. He said then that he had opted to accept and embrace a female identity, including changes to his legal name and government documents:
”Please understand: this is not a game of dress-up, or make-believe… it is my affirmation of who I now am and what I must do to be happy, in response to a soul-crushing secret that my wife and I have been dealing with for more than seven years, a secret we’ve shared with very few…. I have a rare medical condition — nothing deadly or infectious — but it has resulted in an unusual hormonal imbalance…. Some I know call it an involuntary sex change … doctors noticed the levels of my male hormone (testosterone) started to plummet and my female hormone levels (estrone and estradiol) were revealed to be far stronger.”
Tweets attributed to Ennis said on May 9:
“Just for the record: Coming out in the NY Post? Not my idea…. But for the Post, they were kind.”
Today, the Post reported that Ennis had recently suffered from a short bout of “transient global amnesia,” and that he now identifies as a man. The news site quotes an e-mail Ennis sent to friends as saying:
”I am writing to let you know I’m changing my name … to Don Ennis. That will be my name again, now and forever. And it appears I’m not transgender after all…. I’m asking all of you who accepted me as a transgender to now understand: I was misdiagnosed.”
It’s further reported that Ennis sought treatment at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The Post report says he “learned it was a hormone imbalance that could be fixed.” Ennis is promising to remain “a strong straight ally” of LGBT issues, equality and diversity.
According to a public LinkedIn résumé (also changed from Dawn to Don), Ennis works as an editor for the National Desk of ABC News. He also spent some time in 2008 as producer for D.C.’s WJLA-TV on two programs: Politico TV and Capital Sunday.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
