Glee's Dot-Marie Jones Wants to Make the Transgender Community Proud 

American Horror Story Performance—David Bowie\'s "Heroes!"

This Zeek Scene From the Parenthood Series Finale Will Make You Cry Your Eyes Out

Glee\'s Dot-Marie Jones Wants to Make the Transgender Community Proud

by Tierney Bricker Fri., Jan. 23, 2015 9:00 AM PST

In last Friday\'s episode, Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) revealed to Sue (Jane Lynch) and Sam (Chord Overstreet) that she had made the decision to transition from female to male, saying, "I have to get my body in alignment with how I see myself." 

Glee is just the latest series to feature a major transgender storyline and character, with Amazon\'s

earning critical praise (and two wins at the 2015 Golden Globes), and

magazine, becoming first time a transgender person to do so. 

And Jones, who has been nominated for three Emmys for her work on the Fox series, had played a trans character before on

in 2008, which was ultimately not picked up. But she had no idea what was coming up for Beiste on

CLICK: Why did Lea Michele throw up when she performed "Let It Go"!?

"Ryan Murphy told me he had big plans for me this season and I said, ‘Awesome, I\'m ready.\' And he made me a series regular. I got the script is how I found out about it," Jones tells E! News of how she learned of the Gender Dysphoria storyline. "And at first when I was reading the script, you know the cancer thing, I was like, ‘Oh, crap. No!\' And then I kept reading and I\'m like, ‘Holy s—t! This is totally different!\' I never expected it at all."

And while it wasn\'t expected, it was most certainly welcomed.  "It\'s been a lot of work, but it\'s been fun," Jones says, adding that the response she received from viewers was overwhelming. "It literally shut down my twitter. For Beiste to be trending was awesome."

Jones admits she was nervous to take on the storyline, but says she\'s "always nervous...because I want to do it justice and make the person that I\'m portraying proud and the trans community proud."

While Beiste took a leave of absence at the end of last week\'s episode to have a surgery done to remove her breasts, Jones reveals it won\'t be a long one. I come back in episode six and it\'s a big difference," she teases. As for the response Beiste, who will go by the name Sheldon, will receive at McKinley, Jones says, "It\'s awesome, it\'s very positive."

And Jones reveals she will perform on the series for the first time in episode 11. Declining to reveal the song she\'ll be tackling, Jones says, "I\'m performing with a bunch of the kids. All I know is I\'m a hot mess out there!"

Currently filming episode 11, Jones says the cast are receiving scripts as they are written, so she has no idea how Beiste\'s journey will end. But  she hopes Beiste ends the series "happy, she\'s been through enough."

CLICK NOW: Remember these LGBT firsts?

Laura Dreyfuss and Billy Lewis Jr. Join Glee

Samantha Ware and Noah Guthrie Talk Joining Glee

filed under Glee, Watch With Kristin, TV, Top Stories

Parenthood finale sneak peek will wreck you

"Revenge" Stars Let Loose on Show\'s Shocking Twists

Glee Couple: Vote in the Final Round Now!

Glee Newbies Have Some Weird "Coincidences"

Parenthood Series Finale Scene Will Make You Bawl

Renewed or Canceled? Find Out the Fate of Your Favorite Shows

Parenthood\'s Most Tear-Jerking Moments of All Time" title="We Ranked Parenthood\'s Most Tear-Jerking Moments of All Time">

We Ranked Parenthood\'s Most Tear-Jerking Moments of All Time

The Official Ranking of the Best and Worst Bachelors of All Time

Glee\'s Final Season!" title="Everything You Need to Know About Glee\'s Final Season!">

Everything You Need to Know About Glee\'s Final Season!

Girlfriends\' Guide to the Coolest House on TV" title="Girlfriends\' Guide to the Coolest House on TV">

Kristin Cavallari admits she\'s trying to add muscle mass to her small frame

Sons of Anarchy Star Joins Walking Dead Spinoff

The Good Wife: Will Alicia and Finn End Up in Bed Together?

It\'s Time to Say Goodbye to This Long-Running Show

11 Epic Gift Ideas to Steal From Your Favorite TV Characters

The Challenge Creator Opens Up About Losing Diem Brown

Your information may be shared with other NBCUniversal businesses and used to better tailor our services and advertising to you. For more details about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy. If you are located outside of the U.S., your information may be transferred to, processed and used in the U.S.

E! Online - Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows!

Call 1-888-E-Online | Text "tip" + your tip to 44264 or Click Here

*Message & Data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel.

I have read and agree to the E! Privacy policy and terms of use.

Privacy Policy - UPDATED |  Terms of Use |  Independent Programming Report |  ©2015 E! Entertainment Television, LLC. A Division of NBCUniversal.  All rights reserved.