‘Glee’ Star Charice Tells Oprah: ‘My Soul Is Male’

Former 'Glee' actress and Filipina singer Charice Pempengco -- known to the general public simply as Charice -- came out as a lesbian in 2013. In an upcoming interview with Oprah, the singer opens up even further about her newfound gender identity.

Although Charice has no current plans to undergo sex reassignment surgery, she does identify strongly with the male gender. The 22-year-old singer tells Oprah: "Basically, like, my soul is male. But I'm not gonna go through that stage where I change everything. I would change this look, you know, like cut my hair and wear boy clothes and everything but that's all."

Charice also talks about the first time she realized she was gay, and what a relief it was to finally have a word for the way she had always felt. She continues, "I knew when I was five. I was in grade school and I saw this girl and I felt different. I didn't know what it was but I just knew that time, like it felt special. And when I was 10 I was like, ‘Oh, that's it. I'm gay.' I found the word."

We think Charice is incredibly brave for speaking so candidly and unashamedly about a topic still considered by many to be taboo. Be sure to check out the full episode of 'Oprah: Where Are They Now' when it airs on OWN on Sunday (Oct. 19).