Director Lilly Wachowski, formerly known as Andy, has come out as a transgender woman.

The 48-year-old Wachowski said in a statement given to Chicago's Windy City Times that she decided to come out to avoid being outed by Britain's Daily Mail.

“I knew at some point I would have to come out publicly,” she wrote. “You know, when you're living as an out transgender person it's kind of difficult to hide. I just wanted – needed – some time to get my head right, to feel comfortable. But apparently I don't get to decide.”

Wachowski said that a journalist from the paper threatened to out her on Monday.

“So yeah, I'm transgender,” she wrote. “And yeah, I've transitioned.”

Wachowski's sister, Lana Wachowski, 50, came out publicly as a transgender woman in 2012.

The siblings are best known for directing The Matrix and its two sequels. More recently, they created Netflix's Sense8.