Angelina Jolie, Cher, Barbra Streisand – celebrity parents vocally supportive of their LGBT children

Mar 4 , 2020

Can you guess who their celebrity are parents? Photo: Instagram

These celebrity parents are putting their influence to good use by supporting their kids fighting for LGBT rights and equality

Coming out – the process of disclosing one’s minority sexual orientation and identity – remains a sensitive topic and a taboo for conservative families. It is a crucial step towards self-acceptance – and supportive families play a huge role in a person’s mental health and well-being, according to a study conducted by Northwestern University’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority.

The British royal family is helping to change the narrative when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights and self-expression – especially Prince William, who last year declared during a visit to a youth charity that he would stand by his children if any of them came out. Such a pronouncement was a major vote of confidence in the LGBTQ+ community at a time when its increased visibility is being questioned.

Prince William represents a number of celebrity parents who are not just supportive of their LGBTQ+ children but have used their fame as a platform to champion civil rights. Below are five celebrity parents who are supportive of their children’s lifestyle and the wider LGBTQ+ community.

Angelina Jolie

Shiloh, Angelina and Brad’s oldest biological child, already knew her identity when she was three, and has preferred wearing suits and short haircuts. She told her parents that she wanted to be addressed as John in 2014.

Jolie, who is openly bisexual, has expressed her strong support for her daughter’s identity and embraced her choice of clothing. In 2010, she told Vanity Fair: “She wants to be a boy. So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.”

Barbra Streisand

Streisand’s son, Jason Gould, came out to his parents in the 80s, and soon after, tabloids speculated about his sexuality and outed him. Streisand told LGBTQ+ magazine The Advocate that she supported her son. In November 2018, she released her 36th album Walls as a response against Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies. On her website, she dedicated the album to “the millions of young people in the United States and around the world who have found their collective voice and are demanding to be heard”.

Cher