There's nothing quite like becoming better acquainted with the characters during any given American Horror Story season. Because as interesting as as their present-day selves are, their backstory can sometimes be even better. Such is the case for Wednesday night's episode of American Horror Story: Hotel which introduced us to Liz Taylor's past, back before she'd ever set foot inside the Hotel Cortez. You see, in 1984, Liz (then known as Nick) was married and presenting as a man who felt more comfortable spending business trips in the privacy of the hotel room, wearing women's clothes. But did that mean that Liz Taylor is transgender? It's a question that The Countess helped her to figure out.
As a medical rep, Liz's job was to treat clients to a good time in whatever city they were in. And, one such trip just happened to lead Liz and two business associates to the Hotel Cortez for an overnight visit. But, while the guys went out to party, Liz stayed inside her hotel room and changed into her true self — the self she was scared for anyone else to see… that is, until The Countess paid her a visit and helped to bring her out of her shell. After some assessing, The Countess revealed that while Liz may look like a man and walk like a man, her blood smelled like a woman.
Liz immediately burst into tears and said that she was ashamed of how ugly she is. But The Countess — in a surprising sense of compassion — said that wasn't the case at all. Before we knew it, the vampire's heart grew three whole sizes and offered to "trans… form" Liz into the woman she deserved to be. And, like the age-old saying goes, the rest is history.
So while it's still unclear whether or not Liz is truly transgender, given that she refused to put a label on herself (except to say that she is not gay), all signs seem to point to yes. But to be honest, the purpose of this story wasn't to focus on specifics, but rather admire Liz's journey of self discovery. By accepting (and loving) herself for who she is, she was able to start living the life that she wanted with confidence, style, and sass.
Image: Suzanne Tenner/FX
