Liev Schreiber is embracing fatherhood with grace, empathy, and fierce support for his daughter Kai, who is transgender.
In a recent interview with Variety, the acclaimed actor opened up about his family’s journey with honesty and pride offering a powerful message of love and resilience for trans youth and their parents.
Schreiber, 57, spoke ahead of the Ali Forney Center’s A Place at the Table gala, a vital fundraiser supporting homeless LGBTQIA+ youth.
He highlighted the importance of visibility and allyship, especially when it comes to trans teens navigating a world that doesn’t always embrace them.
“Kai was always who Kai is,” Schreiber shared, reflecting on the moment Kai asked her family to use new pronouns.
“But I suppose the most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns,” he said. “It didn’t feel like that big of a deal because Kai had been feminine for so long.”
Now 16, Kai, whose mother is actress Naomi Watts, recently made headlines with her modelling debut at Paris Fashion Week, strutting the runway for Valentino.
Liev Schreiber was quick to champion his daughter’s courage and authenticity, pushing back at critics with heartfelt pride.
“Kai is such a fighter,” he told Variety. “It’s important that she goes, ‘Hey, I am trans’ and ‘Look at me’ and ‘Fk you. Fk off.’”
When asked what advice he would give to other parents of trans children, Schreiber spoke with humility. “I don’t know the answer for your kid,” he admitted.
“I don’t know what it’s like for you to be a trans dad. I don’t know how you were brought up. I don’t know what religion you encountered or what your spirituality is. And for me to tell you what I think about my kid feels like an overstep.”
He also offered a dose of humour and perspective on parenting teens in general.
“I guess if I would say anything to someone who’s having trouble with their trans teen or their adolescent trans kid, it’s, ‘Teenagers are a f**king headache. They’re hard. It doesn’t matter whether they’re trans or not because you’ll come out of this,’” he said, laughing.
“But a trans teen is going to be a teen. They’re such a pain in the ass so much of the time, and Kai is as feisty and outspoken as they come.”
Despite growing anti-trans rhetoric and political backlash, Schreiber remains hopeful and focused on the bigger picture.
“I don’t like to dwell on it too much,” he said. “To some degree, I feel like I don’t want to overcook that fear or that anxiety. There’s enough in the world to be anxious and afraid about.”
Yet, he emphasised the critical need for support and resources for vulnerable LGBTQIA+ youth. “This isn’t just about representing the trans community. This is actually a community of people who don’t have great resources, who don’t have access to help, who aren’t being protected and looked after by their families,” he stressed.
“These are people who are being rejected. These are people who are experiencing the harshest version of humanity that we can offer, and some of them are not surviving it.”
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