Coming out helped 'Jeopardy' champion Amy Schneider become herself in more ways than she expected (2024)

• Coming out as transgender helped the "Jeopardy" champion Amy Schneider in many aspects of her life.
• Now, Schneider told Insider, she finds it much easier to open up and connect with people.
• This article is part of "Me, First," a series about successful women who prioritize their passions and well-being.

Amy Schneider knew when she needed to come out as transgender.

"It was just the thought suddenly crossing my mind that were I to die at that moment, that I would be buried in a suit and have my old name on my gravestone," Schneider told Insider.

Schneider, who is the most successful woman to have competed on "Jeopardy," with a 40-game winning streak, came out as trans over a period from the end of 2016 to the beginning of 2017.

"It felt like something I did not have a choice about," Schneider said of making the decision to come out. "For me to continue to hide myself and to continue to wear my old clothes and answer to my old name and all that sort of thing, it just felt intolerable."

Coming out helped Schneider in ways that she couldn't have predicted. By embracing herself, she went from a shy, introverted person to one who could easily form connections. Her newfound strength gave her the push she needed to apply again to be on "Jeopardy" after previous attempts.

Coming out was less scary than Schneider envisioned

While she lost a good friend in the process, Schneider's decision to come out went a lot better than she imagined.

"When I came out and I was like, 'This is who I am,' the general reaction was, 'Well, OK. Let's move on,' which was pretty surprising and pretty wonderful," Schneider said.

Schneider's mother was the toughest person for her to share the news with, but there was never a sense that she wasn't accepting of her daughter on a basic level.

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, in a religious family, Schneider said it was difficult to be herself because it wasn't how she was raised, adding that it's "not a very Catholic thing to do to put yourself first." Schneider hasn't considered herself Catholic for at least two decades, a January New York Times profile on her said.

"When I told my mom, the first thing she said was, 'That's a hard life,'" Schneider said. "There's some truth in that. It's hard, especially right now, as there's so much hatred out there in the world for people like me. And to see that happening and to feel picked on and targeted, that's not a good feeling.

"That's been tough, but it certainly, certainly is all outweighed by far by the good things that have come out of it."

Coming out helped Schneider fully appreciate life

Coming out taught Schneider unexpected lessons about herself.

"I became myself in so many more ways than just my gender," Schneider said.

Before, Schneider had a tough time connecting with others. When she was no longer hiding part of herself, she shed her difficulties with meeting and opening up to people, she said.

"I feel like I became better at my job. I became better in relationships. I became better in all these different ways because I could be fully present in them in a way that I'd never been able to be before," Schneider said, adding that she's glad that she was able to participate on "Jeopardy," a lifelong dream since childhood, after making the decision to transition.

"Things would've gone differently for me had I gotten onto 'Jeopardy' before transitioning," Schneider, who tested multiple times over a decade to appear on the game show, said. "People wouldn't have liked me as much. People wouldn't have connected with me because I wasn't giving them anything to connect to."

I became myself in so many more ways than just my gender.

Still, it was a difficult decision for Schneider to apply again after coming out.

"One of the things I struggled with was whether to use the same email address I had applied with in the past," Schneider said. She was concerned that if she used the same address with a different first name that it would be obvious she was trans to anyone looking at the records.

Ultimately, Schneider used the same email address. She knew the show would eventually learn she was trans either way and thought it may improve her chances if they knew she previously applied.

"It's not something I'm going to hide. It's not something I probably could hide if I wanted to. It just made sense to own that all throughout the process," she said.

Schneider will return to Jeopardy later this year for the Tournament of Champions, which will air in the fall.

Schneider says coming out is for everyone. It doesn't need to be about sexuality.

Since appearing on "Jeopardy," Schneider has received messages not only from fans who have relayed that she has helped them feel "like more was possible than they realized" but also from families of those who have come out.

"I've gotten more comments that I have helped loved ones, parents and grandparents, of trans people," Schneider said, adding that was likely due in part to the demographic of the game show. The show's median viewer is 68.

Coming out has been a rewarding, fulfilling experience for Schneider. She said coming out shouldn't be limited to people in LGBTQ communities.

"It can feel like that's great if you have something to come out as, if you're gay or trans, but I think that coming out is something that's for everyone," Schneider said. "It doesn't have to be about your sexuality or anything."

Schneider offered the example of a person who may tell family and friends they want kids but deep down knows they don't.

"Coming out's for everyone," Schneider added. "I recommend it highly."