This week, people around the world are celebrating Transgender Awareness Week — which runs from November 13 to November 19.
The aim is to raise awareness of the trans community through education and advocacy.
In honor of this important week, we've taken a look at celebrities who are powerful role models through the treatment of their trans children. Their love and support has allowed their kids to flourish simply by being their true, authentic selves.
From Jamie Lee Curtis to Ally Sheedy, here are nine celeb parents who have been outspoken in their support of the transgender community.
1. Jamie Lee Curtis
Actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, recently revealed that her daughter, Ruby, came out as transgender last year. Speaking in July of 2021, she told AARP that she and her husband, Christopher Guest, have "watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby."
She added that Ruby and her fiancé are planning to marry next year, and that she will be officiating the wedding.
In October, the Halloween star and her daughter spoke to People about the process. "It's speaking a new language," 62-year-old Curtis said. "It's learning new terminology and words. I am new at it. I am not someone who is pretending to know much about it. And I'm going to blow it, I'm going to make mistakes. I would like to try to avoid making big mistakes."
"I don't get mad at them for that," Ruby commented, adding, "I'm happy to be more visible if it helps others."
2. Dwyane Wade
Former professional basketball player Dwyane Wade has been outspoken in his support of his 13-year-old daughter, Zaya.
He first shared the news during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he expressed how proud he was to have a child who is part of the LGBTQ community.
Then, in an interview with Good Morning America, he revealed that this is the first time he's had to have such a discussion. "My daughter was my first interaction when it comes to having to deal with this conversation," he said. "Hopefully I'm dealing with it the right way."
Wade continued: "Some people feel that I'm not. But inside our home, we see the smile on her face. We see the confidence that she's able to walk around and be herself. And that's when you know you're doing right...We as the Wade family, we have to be the ones to have each other's back. For us it was important that Zaya understood that her family has her back [sic]."
3. Charlize Theron
Back in 2019, Charlize Theron — who is famously tight-lipped about her private life — disclosed that her daughter had come out as trans when she was a child.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Theron revealed that her eldest, nine-year-old, Jackson, told her at age three "I am not a boy!"
"I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive. They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be, is not for me to decide. My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be. And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that," she stated.
Later in 2019, she told PrideSource: "My daughter’s story is really her story, and one day, if she chooses, she’ll tell her story.
"I feel like as her mother, for me, it was important to let the world know that I would appreciate it if they would use the right pronouns for her," she continued. "I think it became harder for us the older she got that people were still writing about her in the wrong pronouns, and also I was still talking about her in the press using the wrong pronoun. It really hurt her feelings."
4. Cynthia Nixon
Sex and the City star, Cynthia Nixon, revealed that her son, Seph, is transgender on the Trans Day of Action back in 2018 — after he came out a year prior.
Speaking to US Weekly, Nixon said she was "kind of shocked at what a non-event it was."
"I’m very proud of him," she asserted. "It’s one of those things. I felt really weird using the other pronoun in public, but people didn’t know yet. … He was good with it, and it was really nice, actually, when we announced it. There was some general, you know, voicings of support but generally, it was not a big deal.”
5. Cher
Pop legend, Cher, has been a vocal ally of the LGBTQ community for years — and she was particularly open about her relationship with her son Chaz, who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2009.
While Chaz spoke candidly about his transition in the 2011 documentary, Becoming Chaz, Cher revealed that she initially found the process challenging.
"I was really supportive as we had talked about it over the years. But I admit it was difficult in the beginning. It was hard for a mother," she told The Mirror.
"I had this one child and I was waiting for the new child. There was this part in between where you don't know what you are going to have. You don't know what your relationship is going to be. It was a scary period – the unknown is always really frightening. [But now] Chaz is unbelievably happy...Now it doesn’t make any difference as I don't feel a loss at all. The loss I thought I was going to feel, I don't feel one iota."
6. Sade
The son of singer-songwriter, Sade, Izaak, came out as transgender in 2016 — and has proceeded to document his journey on social media. While his famous mother has kept the details of her children's lives private, Izaak did pay tribute to his mother and the support she has given him following gender confirmation surgery.
In an Instagram post showing him with his mum, shared in 2019, Izaak lovingly wrote: "It’s been a long hard road but We did it!! We are coming home!!!! Thank you for staying by my side these past 6 months Mumma. Thank you for fighting with me to complete the man I am. Thank you for your encouragement when things are hard, for the love you give me. The purest heart. I love you so much. Queen of queens [sic]."
7. Annette Bening and Warren Beatty
While Annette Bening and Warren Beatty have been tight-lipped about their family life, they have spoken about their transgender son Stephen, who came out to them when he was 14-years-old.
Stephen, 29, is now a writer, and his family are very proud. "He's managed something that's very challenging with great style and great intelligence. He's an articulate, thoughtful person, and I'm very, very proud of him," Bening told AARP in 2019.
8. Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy — who is best known for her role in the 80's classic, The Breakfast Club — has been a vocal supporter of transgender rights.
Her son, Beckett, came out as trans as a teenager, and started transitioning during college. Speaking on the We Are Family podcast, Sheedy revealed that she did tonnes of research when Beckett started to take hormones so she was clued up on everything that was happening.
"I respect Beckett. I admire him. I think he's just a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, fabulous person...I think my journey with him has been a back and forth of a balancing act of wanting to support him, being scared for him, recognizing that I need to learn from him, letting go of feeling like I need to protect them from the world and just trusting him and going along with his journey," she added.
9. Colin Mochrie
Back in April of 2016 Colin Mochrie's daughter, Kinley, revealed that she was trans — and the Canadian comedian has been supportive ever since.
"My 90-yr-old mother-in-law and 87-yr-old mother[‘s] love and acceptance of our trans daughter warms me,” Mochrie tweeted at the time. "Wonder why some who are younger can’t."
While Kinley said that there were some challenges that came with changing her name, she stressed that her family were right by her side. "I know there was some difficulty around, getting used to the name change. I said to my parents 'I would love to know what name you like and what names you would give me now.' They came back to me the next day with a list of like 20 names," she told ET Canada.
But this didn't change much for her father whatsoever. "This is my child, this is the exact same person with a new coat," Mochrie said. "When you have a child, all you want for your child is for them to be safe, to be happy and to better than you are."
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