5 Celeb Parents Who Are Loud & Proud Supporters Of Their Trans And Non-Binary Children

Unlike generations before, our collective understanding of sexuality and gender has finally caught up with the experiences some people have had since the dawn of time. To be able to honor that and realize that transgender people and people who don't fall within the gender binary are everywhere is beautiful. Especially when we get to witness people embracing their trans and nonbinary kids without exception.

According to a June 2022 survey by Pew Research Center, 1.6% of U.S. adults identify as trans or nonbinary. The same study found that while the percentage of those who identify as such is still relatively low, 44% of people know someone who's transgender, and 20% know someone who's nonbinary. Although it may seem like there's been a bit of an explosion of people identifying with these terms in recent years, the reality is that these people have always existed. It's just that society didn't have the understanding, terminology, or the necessary openness to see and embrace these people who just want to be their authentic selves.

While not every parent supports their trans and nonbinary kids in the way that they deserve, these celebrities not only accepted their kids' identities, but have done so loudly and proudly. If you have someone in your life who's trans or nonbinary and you're unsure how to navigate that relationship, take a page from these five celebrities and remember if you love someone, that shouldn't change just because they have found the courage to be who they are.

In October 2021, Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Ruby sat down with People to share how Ruby came out as trans to Curtis and her husband Christopher Guest. As Ruby said in the interview, she knew something was different when she was about 16, but she continued to live her life as a gay AMAB (Assigned Male at Birth).

Eventually, Ruby realized that maybe she was trans, first sharing this with the person who is now her fiancé. But it was sharing it with her mom and dad that was the scary part. "It was intimidating — but I wasn't worried," Ruby told People. "They had been so accepting of me my entire life." And Ruby was right — Curtis and Guest were immediately supportive.

"It's speaking a new language," Curtis told People. "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 ... You slow your speech down a little. You become a little more mindful about what you're saying. How you're saying it. You still mess up, I've messed up today twice. We're human." As Curtis explained to People, the big reason for sharing their family's story was to inspire others to be their authentic self and to let them know they're not alone in their trans journey.

Although Dwayne Wade admitted on The Today Show in 2021 that he wasn't very knowledgeable about the LGBTQ+ community, he explained that his daughter, whom he shares with Gabrielle Union, coming out as trans was an eye-opening experience. "She's the strong one in this family. She's a hero," Wade told Today about his daughter Zaya who came out at 12. "It's our family's job to make sure that we listen to her. We listen to the doctors. We ask questions and we formulate our own ideas of how Zaya should be and should be raised in this world and we don't allow others to do that for us."

Like Wade, Union has been vocal about her support of Zaya. Shortly after Zaya came out in 2020, Union posted a video on X with the caption, "Meet Zaya. She's compassionate, loving, whip-smart and we are so proud of her. It's OK to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."

Since coming out, Zaya has become a model, an influencer, and an activist for trans rights. In May 2024, Zaya launched Translatable, a digital platform that provides a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves.

Of all the celebrities with trans kids, Cher and her son, Chaz Bono, might be the most famous — and not just because there probably isn't a person alive who doesn't know who Cher is. Chaz came out as trans back in 2009, a time when being trans had yet to become a mainstream topic. At the time of his transition, Chaz's publicist released a statement about the decision, per TV Guide stating, "It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his coming out did. We ask that the media respect Chaz's privacy during this long process."

While one would think that Cher would be immediately open to her child transitioning, that was actually not the case as Cher explained to Christiane Amanpour on CNN. "It wasn't easy. Like I remember calling, and the old message — the old Chaz message was on the phone — and that was very difficult," Cher explained. "But then you have one child, but you don't really lose them — they just are in a different shape," said Cher, adding how much happier Chaz is as Chaz. "I don't know what the people's problems are. They're fearful, and they just don't understand how to react to it ... I'm just not sure why it's such a big thing."

According to Cynthia Nixon, when her son, Sam, came out as trans, she was shocked because there never seemed to be any signs. In a 2020 interview with The Times, Nixon said, "It did seem in my view to come absolutely out of nowhere. Sometimes I think it would be easier if you had a child who dressed more obviously like the opposite gender." Nixon explained that while she completely supported her son, she did struggle with his pronouns in the beginning.

"Sam was 'they' for a while, and that's harder still. Partly over time, it made it more natural," Nixon told The Times. "I think the gulf between trans men and trans women is vast. And what I hear from a lot of trans men is that some of them genuinely feel masculine and want to be masculine, but I think for a lot of trans men, there is a desire to opt out of gender." In May 2020, Nixon talked about being a parent of a trans kid on the Homo Sapiens podcast saying, "You can make all the arguments that you want ... but the fact is, as a parent, as a human, you should listen to what people tell you about themselves."

Although neither Naomi Watts nor her ex Liev Schreiber have given an interview about their trans daughter, Kai, they have been supportive of her in their own ways. In December 2023, Watts posted a photo of Kai on Instagram for her birthday with the caption, "Happy birthday my sweet little angel. You are everything to me. I'm so lucky to be your mum. Keep dancing and showing the world your dynamic and glorious spirit." That same day Schreiber posted a photo on Instagram of Kai in dance class that read, "Happy birthday, gorgeous!"

While both children of Watts and Schreiber tend to stay out of the limelight, in June 2024, Kai was spotted with her mother at the Balenciaga Fall 2024 couture show. Kai, like her mother, looked stunning and it was clear that she got her taste in fashion from her mum. In 2017, Schreiber was applauded for letting Kai, who was not publicly out yet as trans, dress up as Harley Quinn for Comic Con. To some, it may not seem like a big deal, but in a patriarchal society, letting boys dress up as girls is seen as a courageous act.