These are very proud parents of trans kids!
Sometimes the people who support your queer identity are your chosen family, and other times, they're blood. While some celebs aren’t exactly understanding the assignment (cough, Elon Musk, cough), others like Jennifer Lopez and Charlize Theron continue to absolutely nail it.
Here are 22 celebrities whose love and support for their trans and nonbinary kids give us queer joy and hope for the future.
Tommy Davidson
The In Living Color star Tommy Davidson opened up about loving and accepting his son Jerzey Saint Wilson during an interview on the Touré Show podcast. He shared that Jerzey initially came out as being attracted to girls as a teenager, but eventually embraced his trans identity. And that's something Davidson said he was immediately okay with, as he'd had experiences with LGBTQ+ people across the spectrum for much of his life.
"When I first saw a man that was like a woman, it was here in New York," he said, recounting a childhood experience. "I saw a man that acted like a woman, and kind of looked like a woman, but kinda was a man. And I asked my mother, she gave me the perfect answer. I said, 'What is he? Is he a man, or is he a woman?' And she said, 'You know what, hon, he's kind of both.'"
Davidson stressed that it was important for him to hear it put in simplistic terms like that as a kid, because a perfect understanding wasn't the point.
"What she did was condition me to not reject 'other.' To not reject something that wasn't like me," he explained. "So in that way, it was simple."
Naomi Watts & Liev Schreiber
While Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber they are however happily co-parenting their "modern" family which includes their son and trans daughter Kai. Last year Watts gushed about her youngest child in a birthday post on Instagram. "My darling Kai. Happy Birthday to you! Your fierce talent, sharp mind, hilarious wit and gentle soul fills my heart every day," she wrote in the caption. "I'm beyond proud to be your mum. Keep leaping into this world with strength and grace."
Michelle Visage
At the 35th GLAAD Media Awards, Michelle Visage opened up about her eldest child Lillie's journey and offered advice to parents of trans kids. “I have a queer child who is basically transitioning,” she told PinkNews. “For me, it was a matter of allowing yourself grace to realize this is not the child you thought you were getting and it’s an even better child.”
She added that queer children are more “authentically themselves” and that all they really need is love. “They didn’t ask to be born the way that they were born,” she said. “It just happened that way.”
Cher
Cher is a legendary icon and huge supporter of the LGBTQ community, and her son, Chaz, is a leading voice in transgender issues.
Although Cher has discussed how the transition was difficult at first, but she told The Today Show, “Chaz is so happy, so unbelievably happy, and I don’t know what the people’s problems are. They’re fearful, and they just don’t understand how to react to it.”
Alexis Bellino
Real Housewives of Orange County alum Alexis Bellino announced her son, Miles, as a transgender 15-year-old on Instagram, where she said she had stopped posting for a few months due to his transition.
In the caption, she wrote, “Miles truly wants this because he’s tired of the misgendering and confusion people have, so we are setting the record straight and hopefully bringing clarity.”
[https://www.instagram.com/p/CkKLFSspKwo/ expand=1]
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez introduced her 14-year-old child Emme using gender-neutral pronouns, seemingly affirming Emme's pronouns, while performing at the L.A. Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala on Thursday.
“The last time we performed together was in a big stadium like this and I ask them to sing with me all the time, and they won’t. So this is a very special occasion,” she said.
“They are very, very busy, booked, and pricey. They cost me when they come out. But they’re worth every single penny because they’re my favorite duet partner of all time.”
Dean McDermott
Dean McDermott spoke out about both his queer children, whom he shares with his wife Tori Spelling, during a film screening of My Fake Boyfriend at The Castro Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday.
“The thing I love about this movie is I got to share it with my 15-year-old who identifies as trans and my gay son,” McDermott said.
“I love that they get a safe space to come and watch this. I think this movie is really important. It’s as poignant as it is fun. So, thank you all for coming, and most importantly, to Jack and Liam, I love you guys.”
Charlize Theron
In a 2019 interview with the Daily Mail, Charlize shared that her No. 1 goal is to protect her daughters.
“I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive,” Theron said.
“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.”
Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union first opened up about their daughter coming out as trans in February 2020 and have been nothing but supportive ever since.
“[Think of] the moment when you were in the hospital and you grabbed your daughter, and you looked at your daughter. All the things that went through your mind and all the emotions that went through your mind. And how much love fills your heart at that moment. Don’t let that ever leave you, no matter what,” Wade told Variety while on the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala.
In a March 2022 interview with Buzzfeed, Union opened up about loving her children out loud and being proud. “It’s important for us to live and love out loud,” she said. “We didn’t exactly understand why [supporting Zaya’s trans identity] was a thing because it’s like, we love all our kids out loud. But it is a thing and a lot of people do need an example. [People] do need that [kind of] representation.
“As our children show up, it is our job to believe them when they tell us who they are and not impose our dreams, hopes, fears, and desires on them.
“It’s our job to be loving, compassionate, protective guides for our children, but their lives are their lives and we have to respect that. We do not believe in any kind of shaming for existing. That is bizarre, cruel, [and] harmful.
“So yeah, we’re gonna post our family, we’re going to live out loud, we’re going to love out loud, and we’re going to speak out loud and lead in however each situation calls for us to be leaders when things are not where they should be,” said Union.
Jamie Lee Curtis
In a 2021 interview with AARP Magazine, Jamie Lee Curtis shared that Ruby, the daughter she shares with director Christopher Guest, is trans. “[We] have watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby,” she told the publication.
On her daughter’s birthday, Curtis again took the opportunity to praise her daughter and speak up for the trans community at large in an Instagram post.
“Today is the birthday of my trans daughter. I am proud and grateful to be the parent of a trans child and am sending support to all of the trans families across the U.S. who are being targeted in this moment by conservative legislatures,” she posted.
Cynthia Nixon
In 2018, Cynthia Nixon shared that her son Samuel Joseph Mozes is trans in an Instagram post celebrating his graduation from the University of Chicago.
“I’m so proud of my son Samuel Joseph Mozes (called Seph) who graduated college this month. I salute him and everyone else marking today’s #TransDayofAction. #TDOA,” she wrote.
Ally Sheedy
In an interview with People in January, actor Ally Sheedy gushed about her trans son Beckett Lansbury and giving him room to be himself.
“I want him to be able to do what he wants to do with his life and have the freedom to make his own choices and surround himself with a loving, supportive community,” said Sheedy. “So far, he’s been able to do that.”
As a parent, “I’ve learned a lot,” she said. “Beck doesn’t hide anything. And I feel very comfortable talking to anyone whose kid is just beginning the process of transition. Parents need to educate themselves.”
“It’s natural to have fears about your kids, no matter what. But in this case, Beck is in a really great place in his life. I give him the room to run, and I just really try to just watch.”
Annette Bening & Warren Beatty
Annette Bening and Warren Beatty’s eldest son, Stephen Ira Beatty, came out as trans in 2012, and his parents have frequently shared their love and support openly for him.
In 2016, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Beatty heaped praise upon his son. “He’s a revolutionary, a genius, and my hero, as are all my children,” he said.
Three years later Bening also praised his transition in a 2019 interview with AARP. “He’s managed something that’s very challenging with great style and great intelligence,” she said. “He’s an articulate, thoughtful person, and I’m very, very proud of him”
Sade
While Sade is famously private about her personal life, her son Izaak was open about his identity and thanked his mother for her support. Izaak came out as trans in 2016 and underwent gender confirmation surgery in 2019. After which he posted a loving message to his mother.
“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, and for the love you give me. The purest heart. I love you so much. Queen of queens,” he wrote in the caption.
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver shared that her child, Char, who she shared with her husband Jim Simpson identifies as nonbinary. The Aliens actress shared “We have a wonderful [child] who’s now 32 — I don’t know how, [they] still look 12. … In fact, they’re nonbinary and they teach,” she said while guesting on an episode of the Smartless podcast.
Heather Dubrow
Real Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow, not only supports but celebrates her trans son Ace. In March, she shared that Ace had come out on her Instagram.
Dubrow shared a photo of a sandy beach with the ocean in the background, and the name Ace written in the sand in the foreground. “We love you, our youngest son, Ace ❤️,” reads the caption.
Dubrow continued, “Our job as parents is to give our kids a safe and supportive environment so they can grow up as healthy, happy, confident, independent humans.”
Busy Philipps
Actress Busy Phillips opened up about their child Birdie being gay and using they/them pronouns in December 2020 “You get to build your life, however, the f--k you want to, and it doesn’t have to look like anything you’ve ever seen or anything that’s ever been modeled for you because maybe it doesn’t exist.” Busy recounted telling them, on an episode of her podcast Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best.
Colin Mochrie
Comic treasure and star of Who's Line Is it , Anyway? regularly brags about his transgender daughter Kinley shares photos of them on his social. In 2016 he shared that she was transitioning and opened up to Huffington Post Canada about it. 'This is my child, this is the exact same person, with a new coat.' he said. "All you want when you have a child is for them to be safe, to be happy, and to be better than you."
Marlon Wayans
Marlon Wayans gushed about their trans son Kai during a recent appearance on Power 105.1 FM’s The Breakfast Club. “As a parent, I just want my kids to be free. I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves,” he said. “The more you know yourself, the more you can govern yourself, the more you live your truth, the happier your existence. So if they can’t get that in a household with their father and mother, how the f—k do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?”
David & Georgia Tennant
Doctor Who stars David and Georgia Tennant, don't only share a IMDB credit, but a family of five children as well, one of whom, Doris, identifies as nonbinary. The couple are both incredibly outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights and while they only rarely post photos of their children, the love is overwhelming.
Last month following hateful comments made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about trans people, Georgia forcefully pushed back on Twitter. "I have written and erased so many furious tweets. So many things I want to say but actually, in this moment, only one thing I need to," she began. "So; To the trans community, I stand with you now and always. I, like you, am going nowhere."
David has also frequently reaffirmed his support of queer people, including during a press day for season two of Good Omens, where he wore a shirt with "Leave trans kids alone you absolute freaks" across the front, and a rainbow pin on his lapel.