'I'm a transgender woman': US reporter makes emotional announcement on air

Reichardt said she didn't connect with her body. Photo / ABC Local News 5

A US newsreader has made a tear-provoking announcement on air.

During her allocated time on air, ABC US' Local 5 News reporter, Nora JS Reichardt not only came out as a transgender woman but also reintroduced herself to the community.

Her announcement came the same day she legally changed her name and she explained to viewers she had long thought about her gender but struggled to put her feelings into words as she grew up in a rural area that wasn't as welcoming with gender like it is today.

News reporter Nora JS Reichardt told to tell her viewers on air of her transition. Photo / ABC Local News 5

"I didn't know if there was a place and a space for me to do this sort of work that I've really come to love and enjoy, while also getting to be myself while I do it," she said.

New York Post reported the young woman said while she was born a male and presented as such when she first started working as a reporter, she didn't "connect" with that person.

The segment, presented by Reichardt (right), including some clips of her on the news pre-transition. Photo / ABC Local News 5

It resulted in Reichardt making the big decision to start her medical transition and hormonal treatments in September 2021.

Almost a year after starting her transition, Reichardt revealed her transition on screen and included short segments of reports where she presented as a man, "There was a decent span of time where everyone in my life functionally knew me as Nora, except for the viewers at home."

She had previously taken time off work to be certain she could accomplish everything she wanted to for the transition before returning and breaking the news.

Hi, everyone! I've been away from the spotlight for a few weeks, but I'm back and I've got some news to share. My name is Nora J.S. Reichardt, and in addition to being an on-air reporter for @weareiowa5news, I'm a transgender woman 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️ pic.twitter.com/6m155gV4Mf

— Nora J.S. Reichardt 🏳️‍⚧️ (@Nora_JSR) October 4, 2022

The reporter later took to Twitter to share the emotional news, "It's hard to describe how it feels to finally share that,"

"For a long time, my own body felt foreign and wrong to me, and transitioning has been the first time I've felt like myself in my 24 years of life."

It comes after ESPN journalist MA Voepel announced on Twitter in August that he is transitioning and that he would use male pronouns from then on.