As a boy, Tona's mother had had a hunch that her child would have a career in the arts but figured the specialty would be dance. Her child was obsessed with the TV show "Fame," Sharon E. Brooks remembers. The 3-year-old imitated the dance moves of its characters and choreographed routines with friends to perform for relatives.
He was known as Thomas then. Strangers often thought he was a girl, and other children teased about his femininity.
Thomas or Tona's remarried after Thomas' father died when he was 8.
"He was so confident as a kid because... we accepted him for who he was."
Story Continues...
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