Cohen told Time that he was "misgendered at birth" and is coming out to advocate for a community he perceives as under fire in its struggle for civil rights, reports deadline.com.
The 43-year-old Cohen doesn't like the word "transgender" as a self-description. He said he finds something missing in the word.
His "core being" has always been male, he said.
"In my experience, I was born male. What my body said about it was irrelevant. No matter how hard I tried, it was not up for negotiation. Believe me, it would have been so convenient if I was actually a woman," Cohen said.
The Canadian actor began to transition in his early 20s. He had been living outwardly as a female, even obtaining a few female acting roles, but then started transitioning in 2000, even as his acting career took off with roles on the TV shows "Moville Mysteries", "Eastwick" and "Talking Friends".
In 2014, he landed the role of Schwoz Schwartz on Henry Danger. He did not reveal his identity at that time but said that recent politics no longer allowed him that privilege.
"This crazy backlash and oppression of rights is happening right in front of me. I can't stay silent. The level of - let's be polite - misunderstanding around trans issues is so profound and so destructive. When you disempower one population, you disempower everybody.
"These are my people. I belong to this group," Cohen added.
( With inputs from IANS )