Psychologists agree that children as young as 3 years of age are able to recognise their own pronouns, even though gender identity is a somewhat complicated matter. For both the child and their parents, transitioning can be very overwhelming, especially at a young age, but that is why those families deserve all the outside world’s respect and support. Luckily, there are prominent moms and dads out there who illustrate the ins and outs of raising a transgender child through their own example.
1. Charlize Theron
A boy was born to Charlize’s daughter Jackson and she was 3 years old when she came out. The actress was very understanding and delighted (Jackson has a younger sister named August) to have 2 daughters. They adopted both of Theron’s children.
She defends her daughter as far as Charlize’s support goes, but says she’ll let Jackson share her side in her own time: “My daughter’s storey is really her storey, and she’ll tell her storey one day if she chooses.” I feel like her mother, so it was important for me to let the world know that if they used the right pronouns for her, I would appreciate it.
2. Cynthia Nixon
In 2018, when she did a post about his graduation on Trans Day of Action, Nixon presented the new identity of her transgender son Seph, originally born a female. With her former husband, Danny Mozes, Seph is one of the two children the Sex and the City star had.
Cynthia is very supportive of her son and said it was a relief for him to come out: “I am very proud of him …” Using the other pronoun in public, I felt very strange, but people didn’t know yet. He was good at it, and it was really cool when we revealed it, actually. There were some general expressions of support, you know, but it wasn’t a big deal in general.
3. Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wayde
To make the transition of their daughter comfortable, NBA star Dwyane Wade and actress Gabrielle Union do whatever they can. Dwyane first opened up on The Ellen Show in 2020 about Zaya, who lived as a boy for 12 years, and said that he and his wife take their position very seriously as parents and are eager to hear more about what their daughter is going through.
Wade wants to show other parents that they are not alone: “We know that there are other families out there that struggle with discovering themselves and knowing who they are with their kids.” I won’t sit here and pretend like we’ve got all the answers. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like we were not naive parents when it came to the world until our child came home and sat us down. When I say that we are learning from our 12-year-old, we are learning from our girl, literally.
4. Angelina Jolie
For a while now, the world has been keeping an eye on Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s evolving style. Shiloh’s signature is the boyish look and short hair and while Angelina Jolie has never officially disclosed the pronouns of her child, she once let it slip that Shiloh wants to be a boy.
Angelina discussed her daughters’ style in a 2010 interview and revealed: “She likes to dress like a child.” She wants to be a mom. But we had to get her hair cut. She wants to wear everything boys wear. She feels she’s one of the brothers.’ As for now, we respect the privacy of the family and know that when the time is right, Shiloh will come out.
5. Sade
In 2016, the only child of The Smooth Operator Hitmaker came out as transgender. Izaak, formerly known as Mickailia (b. 1996), said that his famous mom was his biggest support system and thanked Sade during this journey for being by his side.
“Izaak said,” Thank you, Mumma, for staying by my side for the past six months. Thank you for fighting to finish off the guy I am with me. Thank you for your support, for the love you give me when things are rough. The purest heart. I love you a lot. Queen of Kings.’
6. Ally Sheedy
Sheedy, who is best known for her role in The Breakfast Club (1985), is the proud mother of Beckett, a transgender son (b. 1994), whom she had with David Lansbury, her ex-husband. On social media, she strongly supports the LGBTQ+ community and is outspoken about battling for Beckett’s equal rights as a trans man.
“The son of Ally once expressed his thoughts on coming out and gender in general:” Pronouns are something that is generally taken for granted by people. After the baby was born, you have never really thought about it. It’s a boy, so there’s no doubt as to how we’re going to refer to the boy. It’s very, very cool to be able to have the power to pre-plan how you are identified and how you will be heard and identified by other people.
7. Cindy Barshop
Cindy Barshop, the Real Housewives of New York City star, announced in 2019 that one of her twins is a child. “At the time, the former reality show star said that her 9-year-old Jesse is on her way to being transgender and has her full support:” Identity problems can be addressed in the family setting when a child feels relaxed and open. I believe in creating a home that is transparent and positive so that they can express themselves.
