Actor Malik Yoba revealed that he is attracted to transgender women in a passionate Instagram post.

Yoba posted a video clip of Maurice “Reese” Willoughby, a 20-year-old Philadelphia man being bullied on camera for dating a transgender woman. Willoughby reportedly died of a drug overdose after his girlfriend left him shortly after the incident.

“ATTENTION BLACK AND ALL MEN!!! THIS IS NOT OK!!!!! This video is another heartbreaking example of the homophobia, transphobia hatred and hypocrisy WE as black folks, BLACK MEN in particular have to NAME , FACE and CALL OUT and do the work to heal!!!” Yoba writes.”I love ALL women AND count MYSELF among those that find themselves trans attracted and I too have felt the self imposed shame that comes with that truth but it’s time to speak up.It is NOT about GENITALIA OR SEX but about attraction to the soul and humanity of an individual.”

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ATTENTION BLACK AND ALL MEN!!! THIS IS NOT OK!!!!! This video is another heartbreaking example of the homophobia, transphobia hatred and hypocrisy WE as black folks, BLACK MEN in particular have to NAME , FACE and CALL OUT and do the work to heal!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I WILL BE AT @transmarchondc ?️‍?hosting a workshop called LOVE + TRAUMA: The Trans Experience on Sept 27 2019 ( details TBD ) His name was Maurice “Reese” Willoughby, a 20 yr old baby who killed himself from an apparent drug overdose after his girlfriend left him due to abuse. Clearly as evidenced in this video this young man was confident in his choice to love who he loved but the uninformed young men around him haven’t been taught BY US that love is love and acceptance of Trans love is ok and bullying has nothing to do with masculinity or HETEROSEXUAL behavior. Ultimately his mental and emotional health was not intact enough and the fragility of his life as he saw it was too much to bear. Often times this type of shame and ridicule can lead to the murders of women of the trans experience . NOT OK!! Clearly he didn’t get the support of his peers who think that toxicity = masculinity and humanity. That being a “real man” means we must disrespect and demean those that FIND themselves attracted to women of the trans experience. The fact that he was trans attracted presumably meant that he had no safe space to go to find the support he needed to learn to navigate love of a woman of the trans experience in a world that constantly tells you you’re wrong. TRANS PEOPLE DESERVE LOVE AND RESPECT AS DO THOSE OF US THAT LOVE THEM!! I love ALL women AND count MYSELF among those that find themselves trans attracted and I too have felt the self imposed shame that comes with that truth but it’s time to speak up. It is NOT about GENITALIA OR SEX but about attraction to the soul and humanity of an individual and often the beauty that is in the courage and conviction to live ones truth! As a self identified cis heterosexual man I too am learning what it means to be trans attracted. Many of us famous and otherwise that have struggled with accepting our attraction so we do NOTHING. This MUST change ??

A post shared by malikyoba (@malikyoba) on Aug 26, 2019 at 6:08am PDT

Yoba thanked his fans for their support on Instagram. He also says he will continue to support the transgender community at the National Trans March in D.C. by hosting “Love and Trauma workshop: The Trans Experience.”

“I want to say thank you all. All the good folks who’ve reached out in the last 24 hours,” Yoba says. “Seeing my name, talking about ‘trans attraction: Malik Yoba.’ So, here’s the thing. We’re human beings, and we’re all part of the guide body, and so, unfortunately, part of our mechanism is that we need to judge and characterize and ostracize and vilify and demonize the things we don’t understand.”

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Happy Labor Day Fam!! ?❤️ Thank you all who have reached out to me with love and support over the last 24 hours. Thank you @bet and all others who have spread this message of hope that it is ok to be who the FUCK you are no matter what other ppl say as long as you ain’t hurting nobody. Fear and shame should not be our gods. Freedom and love of all of HUMAN-ity should be the order of the day! SEE YOU IN DC FOR @transmarchondc AND Love + Trauma : The Trans Experience. Go to site for all upcoming details ???️‍???

A post shared by malikyoba (@malikyoba) on Sep 2, 2019 at 9:30am PDT

Yoba has appeared on “Empire” and had roles in the films “Why Did I Get Married?” and “Why Did I Get Married Too?”