Marlon Wayans Opens Up About Supporting His Trans Son
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Marlon Wayans is encouraging parents of transgender children to support their kids after revealing that his eldest child previously came out to him as trans.
The comedian is preparing for the release of his upcoming special, which includes his experience navigating his 23-year-old son Kai’s gender identity.
“I talk about the transition,” he said of his special during a recent appearance on Power 105.1 FM’s The Breakfast Club. He stumbled over pronouns as he clarified that he wasn’t referring to Kai’s transition, but of “my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance. And I think there’s a lot of parents out there that need to have that message.”
Wayans acknowledged that going on that journey was initially painful for him, and that he still struggles with getting things like pronouns right (Kai goes by they/them), but that “they see me try and they’re like, ‘I’m happy.’”
“As a parent, I just want my kids to be free. I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves,” he continued. “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 a household with their father and mother, how the f—k do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?”
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The White Chicks actor added that he performed his comedy special, which he calls “one of the best funniest hours that I probably could ever imagine,” for a group of world leaders, as encouragement for them to “be inclusive of this next generation.” Perhaps even more importantly, his son supports his decision to work their story into his humor.
“I’m just so proud of them for being them,” Wayans said. “But that don’t mean that I ain’t got jokes.”
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