When you become a parent and welcome this whole new human into the world, you then get walloped by the joy and terror of watching your kid grow into an entire person beyond your control — which can give you a whole new sense of empathy. That inherent parent empathy is why we’re so baffled by parents who fail to show unconditional love and support to their kids when they come out as LGBTQ+. You know, the parents who are completely unlike Jamie Lee Curtis, Dwyane Wade, Charlize Theron, Magic Johnson, and the other celeb moms and dads we’re applauding here.
“When a child comes home with an issue, when a child comes home with anything, it’s our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can — and that doesn’t change because sexuality is now involved in it,” Wade told Ellen DeGeneres of his transgender daughter Zaya.
We especially love to see these displays of affection during a time that is increasingly scary for young LGBTQ+ folk in the United States. After all, fearmongering legislation nationwide is aiming to strip away their rights. The House of Representatives passed legislation banning transgender athletes from joining women’s and girls’ sports at schools and institutions that receive federal funds, and, soon after, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
Each of the famous parents listed here has said something completely wholesome and touching about their LGBTQ+ kids. When fans see their favorite A-listers and icons step up to promote their kids’ rights to be themselves, we hope others can follow suit.
A version of this story was originally published in February 2020.
Andy Richter
Andy Richter had an immediate positive reaction when his son William came out to him at 11 years old.
On an episode of actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast Dinner’s On Me, the comedian explained that it happened one night after having dinner at a nearby restaurant.
“And we were walking down the street and I was holding his hand and he said to me, ‘Dad, do you know what gay or bi means?'”
“I high-fived him,” Richter said. “I said, ‘F*ck yeah, boy, do I ever.’ I said, ‘Yes, I do.’ He said, well he goes, ‘I think that’s what I am.'”
Richter — who also shares daughter Mercy with ex-wife Sarah Thyre — said he thanked his son for sharing and that they didn’t speak of it again.
“But I mean, not because of me, but because we didn’t need to,” he added.
“But isn’t it kind of refreshing that you didn’t have to speak of it again?” Ferguson asked.
“Oh, it’s fantastic,” Richter agreed. “It’s fantastic.”
Marlon Wayans
Marlon Wayans opened up about his relationship with his transgender son, Kai, while talking about his comedy special Skittles or Rainbow Child on The Breakfast Club in 2023.
“[It’s] is about my daughter,” the White Chicks star said. “I have a daughter that transitioned into a son….so, I talk about the transition. Not his…their transition but my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance.”
“I want my kids to be free,” he continued. “I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves. 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 the household with their father and their mother, how the f*ck do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence? And I’m just so proud of them for being them.”
Before transitioning, Kai identified as gay. “Happy pride to my pride and joy,” Wayans captioned an Instagram post about Kai. “I wouldn’t change one effing thing about you. Love you to the moon around the sun through the galaxies and back again.”
Brian Austin Green
During an October 2023 conversation with Lance Bass for the *NSYNC singer’s podcast Frosted Tips, Brian Austin Green opened up about the eye-opening journey he’s experienced from raising his eldest son Kassius Lijah.
“It’s been a challenge just because honestly, my son being gay, it was unknown for me,” he admitted before adding, “I think a lot of people are afraid of the unknown, whereas I’m not. To me, it’s intriguing. And I want to learn about it.”
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum continued, “I would get into these conservations with Kash where it was like, I really wanted to understand the things that seemed so different to me at first. And then you realize like, ‘Oh, this isn’t different at all.’ It’s just your choice of partner.” Green poignantly added, “It doesn’t affect me at all.”
“And that’s the thing I’m always trying to beat into people now — it does not affect you,” he reasserted. “Why do you care so much? And why are you trying to somehow bully your feelings and your opinion into something that literally does not affect you at all?”
Annette Bening
Annette Bening opened up about advocating for her transgender son, Stephen Ira, during a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. “What I would wish is for every person to have someone who is trans in their family because once somebody you love is trans, then you get it,” she said.
Bening added, “I have a trans son, and he is such an inspiration to me. … It is heartbreaking to me, the coldness and lack of compassion that so many people have, and they are trying to stir up all this fear in people about trans kids and parents, and they are trying to legislate that. This should not be scary to anybody else. This is a private, legitimate, complex, deep, spiritual, physical, psychological experience that has to be respected and honored.”
She also opened up about her personal experience as a parent of a trans child. “To love your child so much is the greatest way to learn about what trans people are all about,” Bening said. “I get to say this because I’m the mother: My son is incredibly brilliant. … I am incredibly proud of him, and he has carved his own way. He’s someone I do admire, and I’ve learned a lot from when he first came out.”
Bening candidly admitted, “I was very ignorant about what that meant to be a trans kid … I had a lot of learning to do. I didn’t always know what to do, and I didn’t always make the right choices because of my own ignorance, but we got through it.”
Alexis Bellino
Alexis Bellino helped her son come out just before his 15th birthday. The Real Housewives of Orange County alum shared Miles story on her Instagram account after he repeatedly asked. She explained that he was tired of the misgendering and wanted to “set the record straight” and “hopefully bring clarity.”
“I cannot imagine the strength and courage it took for my baby to do this,” Bellino wrote, “but I’m extremely proud of him and I want everyone to understand that love doesn’t change in these situations. It’s unconditional love.”
“My son has now flourished!!” she continued. “My son now smiles naturally for the first time in years! My son now loves the clothes he wears. My son can breathe knowing he can be his true self. My son lights up every single time a stranger calls him ‘he.’ My son runs with the boys. My son can actually FEEL. My son can live life now with his true self…I’m so proud of Miles for wanting to stop the hate, and for being brave enough to step forward at such a young age. He now has his entire life to live the way he should…I am 100% fully supportive of my son. I hope you will be too.”
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand’s son Jason Gould came out to her as gay in 1998 and he suspects she was “already” aware. Streisand has been very vocal about her love for her son.
“I would never wish for my son to be anything but what he is,” the EGOT winner said around a decade later. “He is bright, kind, sensitive, caring, and a very conscientious and good person…I have truly been blessed…I have a wonderful son. My only wish is that he continues to experience a rich life of love, happiness, joy, and fulfillment, both creatively and personally.”
Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union
Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union-Wade have been adamant supporters of Wade’s transgender daughter Zaya throughout the years.
On Feb. 25, 2023, Wade and Union accepted the President’s Awards at the NAACP Image Awards. The honor came one day after Zaya’s name change and the changes of sex markers on her legal documents were legally approved.
“I’ve sat back and watched how gracefully you have taken on the public scrutiny,” Wade said in the couple’s powerful acceptance speech. “And even though it’s not easy, I watched you walk out of that house every morning as yourself.”
“You’ve made me a better human just simply by being who you were born to be,” he said. “Our baby girl. Thank you for showing the world what courage looks like.”
Union then urged the NAACP and the Black community to extend advocacy to Black trans people, who she said are “targeted, terrorized and hunted.”
“We are hopeful that we may witness a real shift in the fight for justice,” she said. “The moment the movement makes room for everyone. Everyone.”
In 2020, Wade told Ellen DeGeneres, “We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self.”
In Nov. 2021, when Zaya was 14 years old, the retired NBA player opened up about learning from his kids. “I do the same thing I would do in basketball,” Wade said about raising Zaya in an interview on Instagram Live with Today. “I’m gonna get help, I’m gonna go work on me. So if I don’t know something in this life, especially when it comes from my children, then it’s my job to go and learn these things.”
He continued, “Zaya is so much more than being a part of the trans community. She’s my daughter. She’s beautiful and she has so many other great qualities that she is tapping into that everyone is starting to see.”
The proud dad of four also gave advice to others who might be raising transgender kids. “Make sure that you sit back and see what it is in life that they want to do, and try to go there with them, and try to help them, mold them into what it is they want to be and who they want to be,” he told Variety in May 2022. Union-Wade added, “We believe them when they tell us who they are.”
In Nov. 2022, Wade’s ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches alleged that Wade was trying to “profit” from Zaya’s “name and gender change,” so he addressed the comments on Instagram. He held nothing back, saying in part, “This is a kid who has maintained a 4.0 GPA in honors classes while navigating all this unsolicited and harmful attention and debates about her gender and sexuality from those who are committed to not listening to her, much less even knowing her.”
The protective dad continued, “No one in our house would ever force Zaya or any of our children to do anything against their will, much less force an identity on them. This isn’t a game for my family and definitely not for Zaya. This is her life!”
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver revealed in a 2022 episode of the Smartless podcast that her adult child Charlotte is nonbinary.
“[My husband Jim Simpson and I] have a wonderful daughter who’s now 32. … In fact, they’re nonbinary and they teach.”
Weaver has said that being a mom is “absolutely the most important thing” in her life.
“My family comes first and I’m so grateful to them that they let me go off and make films,” she said at the time. “But I find it very difficult to leave them. I hate it. I have had therapy and found it helpful in dealing with the guilt I’ve felt about leaving them. Going to [film Avatar] when Charlotte was applying to colleges almost killed me.”
Cynthia Bailey
Model Cynthia Bailey’s daughter Noelle came out to her as sexually fluid during an episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta.
“I just want you to be happy. If you meet an amazing young lady, that’s a blessing. If you meet an amazing young man, that’s a blessing,” Bailey said in the episode. “As long as they’re good people and they love and support you.”
Ally Sheedy
The Breakfast Club alum Ally Sheedy told People of Beckett, her trans son, “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. So far, he’s been able to do that… Beck doesn’t hide anything.”
The actress continued, “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.”
Robert Stafford
After Lil Nas X came out publicly as gay and fully embraced his sexuality in his Montero (Call Me By Your Name) music video, his father, gospel musician Robert Stafford, wrote on Instagram, “Very creative video. I got through it 😂😂. Congratulations. Live life on your terms. Very PROUD of you 💪🏾💪🏾🙏🏾.”
Gloria Vanderbilt
The late heiress Gloria Vanderbilt said in a joint interview with her son, Anderson Cooper, and People, “It took great courage for you to confide in me. I hope you know that I am more than ‘okay’ with it; I rejoice that you are gay! It’s part of what makes you the person you are.”
Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott are parents to two LGBTQIA+ children. McDermott’s oldest son, Jack, is gay, and their son Liam is transgender.
During a film screening of his movie My Fake Boyfriend in June, McDermott posted an Instagram Story that said, in part, “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.”
Just a week before, McDermott posted a photo celebrating Pride with his kids.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is mom to twins Max and Emme Muñiz with ex-husband Marc Anthony — and though there has been no official statement on Emme’s gender or sexuality, fans noticed that J-Lo was careful to refer to her child using they/them pronouns during a duet performance.
“I ask them to sing with me all the time but they won’t,” Lopez said. “So this is a very special occasion, because they’re very, very busy and 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.”
Naomi Watts & Liev Schreiber
Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber may not be married anymore, but they’re still supportive of one another and dedicated co-parents — and this was evident at their 13-year-old trans daughter, Kai’s middle school graduation. Both parents beamed in a group photo posted by Watts, and Schreiber posted a sweet snap of Watts and Kai with bouquets of flowers.
Busy Philipps
In December 2021, Busy Philipps announced on her podcast, Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best, that her child Birdie is gay and prefers they/them pronouns.
She had an emotional conversation with Birdie, in which she told them, “This is living, you can’t wait for it to start. … You get to build your life however the f*ck 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. You get to choose what will make you feel fulfilled and happy. It doesn’t have to be any of these constructs that we’ve all been fed our whole lives. This is a different world that you get to f*cking build.”
Jamie Lee Curtis & Christopher Guest
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis recently revealed in an AARP interview that she’s the proud parent of a transgender child, saying that she and husband Christopher Guest “have watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby.” Ruby was married to her partner Kynthia in May 2022 — and Curtis officiated the wedding.
Khary Payton
The Walking Dead star introduced his transgender son Karter to the world on Instagram in June 2020, writing, “This is my kid. One of the most happy, well-adjusted individuals I’ve ever known. My son, Karter, Karter with a K because it reminded him of my name. He chose it.”
The proud dad continued, “You see, he was born female but has always identified as a boy. He thought it would be cool if I announced it on social media. I told him that there would be so many supporters but also a lot of jerks who would be harsh.”
Karter’s response? “‘Yeah, I know about trolls, daddy. I can handle trolls.'”
Billy Ray Cyrus & Tish Cyrus
When Miley Cyrus came out as pansexual in 2015, Billy Ray Cyrus told E! News, “We’ve always been very open-minded. Listen, it’s all about love and light. Forget the negativity and the haters.”
Magic Johnson & Cookie Johnson
“As a parent, I wanted EJ to know that we loved him and would always love him,” Magic Johnson told the New York Times of his reaction when his son, makeup artist EJ Johnson, came out to him as gay when he was a teenager.
The NBA legend continued, “My job as a father is to protect him. His family and those that know him would always love him, but there would be people that don’t know him and may not approve. Some people may not be nice, but it wasn’t about him. I wanted to prepare him and let him know that I would always support him.”
Johnson also once said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, “I think it’s all about you not trying to decide what your daughter or son should be or what you want them to become. It’s all about loving them no matter who they are, what they decide to do.”
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin had a matter-of-fact reaction to daughter Ireland Baldwin coming out as bisexual. “As my daughter said to me — because she had a girlfriend for a while — she said to me, ‘You don’t sleep with a man or a woman. You sleep with the person. I’m attracted to that person,'” he told Amy Schumer on his podcast Here’s the Thing. “So she slept with somebody who was a woman.”
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is the proud mom of transgender daughter Jackson, who is able to live her truth thanks to her mother’s progressive parenting style.
“My job as a parent is to celebrate [my children] and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be,” Theron told Jimmy Fallon in 2019. “And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that.”
Marie Osmond
“I believe in [my daughter’s] civil rights, as a mother,” Marie Osmond said of Jessica — who is gay — in 2013. “I think that my daughter deserves everything that she desires in life. She’s a good girl. She’s a wonderful child.”
Cher
During a 2020 interview with Today, Cher recalled her son Chaz Bono’s transition period, explaining, “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. But then you have one child, but you don’t really lose them — they just are in a different shape.”
In 2011, two years after Chaz’s transition began, Cher said, “I admire my son Chaz’s courage for sharing his personal journey. Most important to me is that he is very happy. That’s what I care about the most. He has my love and support.”
Lynn Kendall Thomas & Isiah Thomas
“I came out to them, and they were very accepting,” Zeke Thomas, who is gay, told Out of his parents Isiah Thomas and Lynn Kendall Thomas. “I always knew they would be accepting. Growing up, I had gay uncles, like every kid in America. I never was so scared that my parents were going to shun or disown me — the horror stories you hear.”
Sade
“Thank you for staying by my side these past 6 months Mumma,” Sade’s transgender son Izaak wrote on Instagram in 2019 after his gender confirmation surgery. “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.”
Trudie Styler & Sting
“They knew already,” gender-fluid musician Eliot Coco Sumner said of parents Sting and Trudie Styler. “So I didn’t need to [come out]. I’ve never come out to anyone. My friends always knew and I always knew.”
Annette Bening & Warren Beatty
“He’s managed something that’s very challenging with great style and great intelligence,” Annette Bening said of transgender son Stephen Ira. “He’s an articulate, thoughtful person, and I’m very, very proud of him.”
Sally FIeld
“As long as I am upright, I will fight [so] that Sam and everyone’s children and grandchildren and sisters and brothers will be protected in every state of the United States,” Sally Field said of her son, Sam Greisman, who is gay — and why she’s part of the Human Rights Campaign’s work towards the Equality Act.
Marcia Gay Harden
“My son is gay. I just want to make sure he gets to have a family when he wants one,” Marcia Gay Harden said of son Hudson at the Family Equality Council’s Impact Awards.
Cindy Barshop
“Trans children, they know their identity,” Real Housewives of New York‘s Cindy Barshop told People of her transgender son Jesse, who came out at just 6 years old. “It’s not about sexuality and that is the most important thing. Because people are like, ‘Well, how do they know?’ It’s an identity change, not a sexuality. So that’s the one clarification I want to make. And you have to be open with your children.”
Cynthia Nixon
“I’m very proud of him,” Cynthia Nixon said of her trans son Seph. She added, “I was kind of shocked at what a non-event it was, which is just how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time.”
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