In the current political climate, it is more important than ever to protect the transgender community -- particularly trans and nonbinary youth, who are being impacted by Donald Trump's executive orders.
Supporting trans rights involves all of us, but in a world where 300,000 13-to-17-year-olds in the US identify as trans, it's essential for parents to uplift their trans and nonbinary kids from the very start.
So, without further ado, here's a roundup of celeb parents who've set the standard by loudly supporting their trans and nonbinary children.
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1. Robert De Niro
Samir Hussein / Getty Images, @voiceofairyn / Instagram / Via Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/voiceofairyn/?hl=en
Robert is notoriously private when it comes to his personal life, but this year, he spoke out in support of his 29-year-old daughter, Airyn, who came out as trans during an interview with Them in May. In a statement to Variety, the 82-year-old movie icon said, "I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is. I love all my children." In a subsequent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Bob added, "The main thing is to support your kids. As long as they're not hurting themselves, doing anything that's destructive or anything like that, you have to support them. Period."
2. Cher
When Chaz Bono came out as trans in 2009 at 40 years old, his singer and actor mom initially found the adjustment quite challenging. "It wasn't easy," Cher told CNN in 2020. "I remember calling, and the old [voicemail] message...and that was very difficult." Fortunately, though, it didn't take long for her to embrace Chaz's new identity. "You don't really lose them. They just are in a different shape," she said in the same interview, adding that her son is "so unbelievably happy."
3. Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is a proud mom to Shar Simpson, who is nonbinary. The Alien star opened up about her child's gender identity in an interview with the Sunday Times in 2023, saying: "They are nonbinary. They teach at Columbia, digital storytelling, bots, misinformation, they are someone who is excited about AI and not frightened about it." In the same interview, Sigourney said that being a mom to Shar is "absolutely the most important thing" in her life.
4 & 5. Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union
Zaya Wade came out as trans in 2020, and now, at just 18, is already making a name for herself as a model and influencer. Since Zaya came out, her dad and stepmom have been her biggest supporters and have been praised for their LGBTQ+ advocacy. Accepting the President's Award at the NAACP Image Awards in February 2023, Dwyane said of Zaya: "To say that your village is proud of you is an understatement. As your father, my job isn't to create a version of myself or direct your future. My role is to be a facilitator to your hopes, your wishes, your dreams."
Gabrielle has been equally vocal in her support and defense of Zaya, who has a strained relationship with her biological mother. In May 2025, Zaya opened up about how her stepmom has helped her "understand beauty" throughout her transition, saying: "Having her as a guiding hand for that, whether it's active or passive, being able to watch her and her makeup journey and her beauty experience...It's just inspiring to me and how I understand beauty and care in this world."
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6. Heather Dubrow
As a Real Housewives cast member, Heather has shared much of her life over the years. And in 2023, she revealed that her then 12-year-old child, Ace, is trans. In an Instagram post, Heather wrote: "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," adding that Ace will "tell his own story someday if he chooses to do so."
In 2024, she told Today that she worries about Ace, her youngest child, but is focused on giving him the "tools" to "go out into the world" with confidence. "As a celebrity -- and I use that term very loosely -- I'm trying to use my platform for good and to show people what my family looks like," Heather said. "However, I have to create an environment for my children where they feel protected. I'm not telling their stories for them, but I can discuss what our familial experience has been."
7. Michelle Visage
Speaking at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards in 2024, Michelle opened up about parenting "a queer child who is basically transitioning," and how she's embraced the experience. "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 because they're authentically themselves." Offering a word of advice to other parents of trans and nonbinary kids, Michelle said: "Give yourself grace, give yourself time and patience, and just love your kids and it'll magically cure everything."
Annette and Warren have long been vocal supporters of their oldest child, Stephen Ira, who came out as trans in 2012 when he was 20 years old. In 2016, Warren described his son as "revolutionary, a genius, and [his] hero." More recently, Annette opened up about feeling "protective" of Stephen and the trans community in the current political climate. "I would hope that people would find someone in their lives who's a trans person...because then you really do understand that we don't have to judge," she said on The View. "We have to love and understand."
10. Charlize Theron
Kayla Oaddams / Getty Images, @charlizeafrica / Instagram / Via instagram.com
Charlize became a mom when she adopted her oldest child, Jackson, in 2012, followed by August in 2015. The Mad Max star is incredibly private when it comes to her two daughters; however, she has publicly discussed Jackson coming out as trans at a young age, telling her mom at 3 years old: "I am not a boy! So there you go!"
In an interview with Pride Source in 2019, Charlize clarified that she doesn't plan to talk in too much detail about Jackson's experience to protect her privacy, but wants the world to respect her pronouns. "My daughter's story is really her story, and one day, if she chooses, she'll tell her story," the Oscar-winner said. "I haven't really talked about it ever since, again, because outside of just asking that respectfully of the press -- and the world, hopefully -- the rest is really private and it's her story, and it's really up to her to decide if she wants to share that."
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Back in June 2018, Cynthia marked Trans Day of Action with an Instagram post sharing that her oldest child, Seph, is trans. "I'm so proud of my son Samuel Joseph Mozes (called Seph) who graduated college this month," the Sex and the City star wrote alongside a photograph of them together. "I salute him and everyone else marking today's #TransDayofAction."
We don't hear a huge amount about Seph; however, Cynthia said on The View in late 2023 that he was one of the reasons she's been so vocal in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. "He really has been reaching out to my wife and I and asking us -- imploring us, really -- to say, 'Use your voice to affirm as loudly as you can that 'never again' means 'never again' for anyone,'" she explained on the show.
12 & 13. Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber
Arnold Jerocki / Getty Images, Mike Coppola / Getty Images
For exes Naomi and Liev, their daughter's coming-out experience was pretty simple. Speaking with Variety this year, Liev revealed that 16-year-old Kai never actually sat down and told her parents that she's trans, but had a "profound" moment when she requested to change her pronouns. "Kai was always who Kai is," the actor said. "It didn't feel like that big of a deal to me only because Kai had been so feminine for so long."
As you may know, Kai is already making a name for herself in the modeling world, and it's safe to say that her parents are loving watching her shine. "Kai is such a fighter," Liev told Variety. "It's important that she goes, 'Hey, I am trans,' and, 'Look at me.'" Naomi is always supporting Kai on Instagram, too, and last year, she posted a sweet tribute to her daughter on her 16th birthday, writing: "Your sweetness is pure and I'm the luckiest mommy in the world and that world is SO lucky that you are here!! You blow me away with your wild spirit, strength and yes your soft sweetness too."
Sade's only child, Izaak Adu, came out as trans in 2016, and though the singer is super private, her son has shared his gratitude for her support throughout his journey. "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," he wrote on Instagram in 2019.
Last year, as part of the Red Hot Organization's trans-inclusive compilation EP project Transa: Selects, Sade released a song in which she looked back on the mistakes she may have made as her son grappled with his gender identity. Isaak subsequently told Rolling Stone: "Though there was nothing I needed to forgive her for, the lyrics 'Forgive me, son, I should have known,' struck a chord. My mum never tried to oppress the boy I silently always knew I was. She always let me be me."
15. Sting
Santiago Felipe / Getty Images, Araya Doheny / Getty Images
Sting's child, Eliot Sumner, whom he shares with Trudie Styler, revealed over 10 years ago that they do not identify with gender labels. As Eliot's acting career has blossomed, they haven't said a huge amount about their family life; however, it's abundantly clear that their parents are incredibly supportive of them. "They knew already," Eliot told The Evening Standard in 2015 when asked about coming out to their family. "So I didn't need to. I've never come out to anyone. My friends always knew, and I always knew."
16. Jamie Lee Curtis
When Jamie Lee's daughter, Ruby, whom she shares with Christopher Guest, came out as trans in 2020, the Freaky Friday actor was ready to learn and support, even as she was adjusting to the change. In a joint interview with People in 2021, Jamie Lee said, "I am here to support Ruby. That is my job. Just as it is to care and love and support her older sister Annie in her journeys. I'm a grateful student. I'm learning so much from Ruby. The conversation is ongoing. But I want to know: How can I do this better?"
17. Marlon Wayans
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2023, Marlon opened up about his son's gender identity and his "transition as a parent," going from "ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance." Speaking about his now-25-year-old trans son, Kai, Marlon expressed that he couldn't be prouder, saying: "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 fuck do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence? And I'm just so proud of them for being them."
In a subsequent interview with People in 2024, Marlon admitted that it took him about a week to come to terms with Kai coming out as trans, but that it helped him "understand the purpose of kids and the beauty of unconditional love." "At the end of the day, in my heart, the only thing that matters to me is that my child is happy," he said.
18. Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez shares 17-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with her ex, Marc Anthony, and in 2022, the singer first referred to Emme with they/them pronouns. During a performance at the annual Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium, J.Lo proudly brought Emme onto the stage to sing a duet of Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years." "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, joking that Emme is "very, very busy" and "pricey." "But they're worth every single penny because they're my favorite duet partner of all time." Adorably, Emme sang with a bedazzled rainbow microphone. Iconic!