A lot has changed for LGBTQ people over the last 20 or so years, and much of that has
to do with greater visibility for them in the media.
We've always tended to follow the examples of our stars, and as our celebrities have
publicly embraced their LGBTQ children, it's helped change the way society interacts with
the gay community.
Of course, it hasn't always been a smooth road, but good or bad, here's a look at some
stars who have gay children.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson became both avatar and advocate for those living with HIV when he publicly
revealed his diagnosis in November, 1991 — and now he's setting another example as a loving
father for the 21st century.
He spoke about learning to understand his gay son, EJ Johnson, on ABC's Nightline in
2016:
"I had to come to realize that this is who he is, and he’s gonna be happy.
And so, why am I judging him?
I'm his father."
Johnson continued, explaining how he learned to move on from simply understanding his son
to fully accepting and supporting EJ:
"I knew he was looking for me to accept who he was, and I had to get out of my own way."
Cookie, Magic's wife and E.J.'s mom, was proactive in showing her support, talking it through
with E.J. as a teen.
"Being a mom, I knew.
So when that teenage time came around, I just pulled him aside and talked to him about it,
because I didn’t want him to feel bad."
And talking to EJ openly and honestly made all the difference.
"I didn't want him to feel like he had to hide, so I just talked to him, and he felt
so relieved, you know, he was like, ‘Yes, mom.”
And he still seems to be doing pretty well.
E.J. is building up a reality television career, starring in Rich Kids of Beverly Hills as
well as his own follow-up spinoff, the New York-based E.J.
In the City.
Belinda Carlisle
When James Duke Mason, the son of The Go-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle, came out at the age
of fourteen, he told Belinda and his friends — but not his father.
Keeping that secret was a huge challenge for Belinda.
She told Metro,
"I was worried my husband might find the news traumatic.
I ended up carrying that secret around with me for three months."
But once everything was out in the open, she discovered there was nothing to be worried
about at all.
Now, James is a writer and an advocate for LGBT causes, founding the awareness-raising
Trailblazer Campaign, helping to coordinate the L.A. Pride Resist March, and even running
for office.
"I've been an advocate for the last 8 years of my life, using my voice to try and make
a difference for the LGBT community.
And now I want to bring some of that grassroots activist experience to the city council.”
R. Kelly
R&B composer R. Kelly addressed the news of his transgender son Jay for the first time
in 2014.
Jay first came out to his mother, Andrea Kelly, and initially, his father didn't know much
about it.
Though R. Kelly's response was, to put it charitably, less than ideal, he did stress
that he still planned to support Jay in his own way, saying "No matter what they are or
who they are, they're still your kids.
You love them, you know?
You've got to support them."
Warren Beatty and Annette Bening
The last time we saw Warren Beatty, he was standing in the center of the Oscars' biggest
screw-up ever.
But in the months before, the generally private actor and director came out publicly in support
of his son Stephen Ira, a 24-year-old trans man whom Beatty calls "a genius, and my hero".
Stephen's mother, Annette Bening, is likewise "super proud of him."
A writer who came out at the age of fourteen, Stephen is a co-founder and editor of the
literary magazine Vetch: A Magazine of Trans Poetry and Poetics.
Isiah Thomas
Zeke Thomas says his parents always knew that he was gay, or at least, they say they do.
The DJ, whose father Isiah became one of the most legendary point guards in basketball
history, came out to his parents properly in 2008.
He says their response was to accept him, just like he always knew they would.
The relationship between Zeke and his father appears inspiringly solid.
They've participated together in the No H8 Campaign and Zeke published a beautiful Father's
Day letter to his superstar dad, thanking him for, well, just about everything.
"Thank you for loving your Gay son from the beginning with no prejudice.
Many children are not given that same level of love and guidance.
Thank you for continuing to champion equality for all."
Sally Field
In addition to being a talented actor, Sally Field is an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ rights.
She's had the distinct pleasure of being presented the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality
Award by none other than her son Sam Greisman in 2012.
More than simply signaling her own progressiveness, Field has some advice to parents of gay children
on how to navigate the scary process of coming out.
"First of all, don't be frightened.
And don't put your own prejudices or fears about sexuality on your children."
"It’s important to have a parent speak about raising a magnificent, proud, intelligent,
funny, lovable gay son.”
Cher
Cher has been a gay icon for decades, owing to her fierceness, diva personality, and of
course, contributions to the dance music canon.
But even she initially had trouble understanding when her son, then known as Chastity, came
out as a gay woman, and eventually a transgender man whom we know today as Chaz Bono.
The road to acceptance was long, with Cher at first feeling very anxious about the idea
of her child being LGBTQ.
Chaz wrote in his memoir, Family Outing, that Cher went "ballistic for a couple of days."
“I just went around the house screaming and yelling.”
Chaz said at the time, "I think she had certain expectations, hopes and dreams of what her
child's life would be, and she wanted it to be as smooth and easy as possible."
Since then, Cher has become a gay rights advocate, saying "the one thing that will never change
is my abiding love for my child."
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd has not one, but two adult daughters who both identify as LGBTQ.
Clementine Ford, her oldest daughter, is an out bisexual writer and actress who starred
alongside her mom in Showtime's The L Word after making her debut in the 1999 comedy
American Pie.
Ariel Shepherd-Oppenheim, one of two twins born from Cybill's second marriage, is a playwright
and director based out of Los Angeles who recently wrote, directed, and starred in the
short comedy F*** You From LA.
As for Cybill, she supports her daughters fully, though it's not like there was ever
any doubt.
Her L-Word co-star Jane Lynch once remarked of Shepherd, "She marched in the [gay pride]
parades before it was fashionable."
Ally Sheedy
The actress best known for her iconic role as Allison, the outcast from The Breakfast
Club, never had a "coming-out" moment with her daughter, Rebecca, who identifies as a
lesbian.
Sheedy was, in fact, uniquely prepared to be the mother of a queer child — her own
mother Charlotte, is a lesbian as well.
She told the Windy City Times, "With both my mom and my daughter, [coming out] wasn't
really an event.
I don't remember a time when I had the thought that, 'Oh, my God…my mother is gay!' because
it was an ongoing conversation.
Just the same, there wasn't a day when I thought, 'Oh, now my daughter is gay!'
It's just a part of life."
As a result, Sheedy's advice to parents and family members of LGBT people is relatively
cut-and-dry: "Basically, do you love that person or not?"
Simple as that.
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