Ruby Rose opens up about gender struggle

Ruby Rose felt as though she didn't "fit the mould of a girl" when she was younger.

The Pitch Perfect 3 star came out as a lesbian to her mother when she was just 12 years old. However, she told Self magazine that prior to revealing her sexuality, she had considered that she might want to transition into a boy because she didn't realize there were any other options.

"When I was really young, my own understanding was that you had to be either a boy or a girl and I didn't feel like I fit the mould of a girl," she told the publication. But with idols like Annie Lennox, David Bowie and Prince, Ruby soon expanded her own ideas on gender - and now identifies as gender fluid.

Her struggle with her gender identity was documented in 2014 short film Break Free, which Ruby wrote, produced and starred in. The video went viral and has since garnered more than 32 million views on YouTube, and contributed to the issue of gender struggles being discussed in more mainstream enviroments. Since then, Amazon TV series Transparent has focused on transitioning, and Ruby is thrilled that the issue is no longer taboo.

“It was a really beautiful moment and serendipitous timing that you just really trust in the universe that things sort of happen when they’re meant to,” Ruby said of the success of Break Free and its impact.

Since landing her breakthrough role on TV show Orange Is The New Black, Ruby's career has gone from strength to strength, and she's since become something of a household name. She's attracted criticism recently for her slimline figure, which Ruby hit back against on social media, and added she's well aware of the responsibility she has as a role model to thousands.

“I definitely always keep in mind that what I do is going to influence other people, young or old, whatever, I want to make sure that the person they look up to is the same person that they looked up to in the beginning,” she explained.