6 celebrities who know what it means to be allies to their LGBTQ+ children

Even for a supportive parent, it can be daunting when a child comes out. Often, it leads to an array of questions. What are the right things to say? What do they need from me? How can I support them? How can I be an ally if I’m not LGBTQ+ myself?

Truthfully, there’s no one way to parent and support an LGBTQ+ child, and while there maybe be challenges to navigate, chances are all your child wants is to be accepted and to hear a guarantee that your love for them will not waiver.

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“When you know, you know.”

It’s equally as important to listen to your child and for your commitment to allyship to extend outwards to the community as a whole.

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Some celebrity parents instantly come to mind when the topic of LGBTQ+ allyship arises, using their fanbase and large platforms to promote acceptance. They have been there not only to meet their own children’s needs, but to make a positive difference for the rest of us.

Let’s celebrate some celeb parents who are getting allyship right.

Jamie Lee Curtis Shutterstock Shutterstock

Jamie Lee Curtis has made clear she unconditionally supports her transgender daughter. The Oscar-winning actress revealed in July 2021 that she and her husband, director Christopher Guest, “have watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby.”

She’s since said that Ruby’s transition helped her dismantle the “old ideas” she had about gender, having realized that life is a “constant metamorphosis.”

The Halloween icon – who is also a mom to daughter Annie – has admitted that she’s had a lot of learning to do when it comes to “new terminology and words,” but Ruby has made it clear that the support is there unfalteringly, ensuring she isn’t “mad” about pronoun slip-ups.

What’s more, Curtis has reaffirmed her commitment to the trans community time and time again, whether it’s with an Instagram post or renaming her Academy Award with they/them pronouns in solidarity.

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“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,” the Everything Everywhere All At Once star told People.

“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?”

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union Shutterstock Shutterstock

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s daughter, Zaya, came out as trans in 2020 at the age of 12. Zaya told her family that she had known since she was three years old, but it took her father, in particular, a little longer to catch up.

In a conversation on Good Morning America, the former basketball star recalled: “I knew early on that I had to check myself. That’s what I knew. I knew early on that I had to ask myself questions.”

“I’ve been a person in a locker room that has been a part of the conversation that has said the wrong phrases and the wrong words myself. As I got older and I watched my daughter grow, I had to go and look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘Who are you? What are you going to do if your child comes home and says, “Dad, I’m not a boy… I’m a trans girl.” What are you going to do?’ That was my moment of realization.”

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