R. Kelly’s youngest child, now 13, came out as transgender on his ask.fm page this week. Though he reveals that his mother has been incredibly supportive of his recent decision to begin transitioning, his father, who he describes as “a deadbeat,” was unaware.
The teen was given the name Jaya at birth, but now prefers to go by Jay. He’s been answering questions submitted anonymously about his transition, revealing a close relationship with his mother, a desire to seek transitional surgery in the near future, and a history of depression.
“[My mom] was like, ‘Baby, you know I love you if you were bi, gay, [lesbian], you name it and I would still love you so much,’” he told an inquirer, according to In Touch. “She was very proud of me, I was like, ‘Thank you mum for accepting the fact that I’m a transgender.’”
“And same with my sister, she told me that she was proud of me, and respects me by calling me handsome and calling me her little brother now, and I love her for that, so you know it was great for me.”
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Last night, Jay wrote that his depression is just “one of the things that come with being transgender.” “It’s complicated,” he writes, “you cry, ALOT.”
Jay has been active on Instagram since creating an account in January. Check him out and follow his transition at @mi_ylno_namuh.
Spike
While I’m all for young teens embracing/acknowledging their trans.awareness I’m not so sure what is to be gained by doing it so publicly.
Kinda of makes you wonder if he is doing it publicly because he knows, as R Kelly’s son, it will get press vrs if he was a non-celebrities kid.
RSun
@Spike: Perhaps his higher profile can help make it easier for others who are facing the same struggles. Bravo I say!
masc4masc
@Spike: “I’m not so sure what is to be gained by doing it so publicly.”
attention.
with all the social media and reality TV craze, americans have become nothing but total attention wh-res. folks will do anything for their 15 minutes these days.
anyone else think this chick looks just like obama in that 2nd pic? lol
myloginname
I am interested when celebrities and their families make these statements, although I don’t really know much about R Kelly his son Jay coming out as trans really focuses a spotlight on the issues and lets other trans people know they are not alone. Having your neighbor Judy come out as trans just doesn’t put it out there very much.
Kangol
This is great news, and it probably will help other young trans people in their self-affirmation and transitioning. It’s especially heartening to see that his mother and sister are giving him unconditional love.
ironcladland
Guys, this is really fucking unnecessary of queerty. In a 13yo’s mind, he didn’t come out publicly. He came out on askfm, as do loads of other kids, presumably only to his friends or a small group of internet strangers, and you decided to put an article about it on your website which is highly trafficked. This kid isn’t a child celebrity and I doubt was expecting this big an uptake in the media. Not cool.
cformusic
sounds like he has a good support system. he will need it.
Blackceo
He looks so much like his mother
OzJosh
@ironcladland: Come On. Anyone who doesn’t realise that online = the world, shouldn’t be using a computer without supervision.
Lvng1tor
@masc4masc: you’re not a very secure person are you. You come on the site just to troll around, make nasty comments and put LGBTQ down. It’s quite obvious, those with a good self image don’t need to constantly put others down. Try joining in the discussion not just insulting. It’s more fun and ya may just learn something. Either way just stop with the crap. It’s juvenile and not needed
stanhope
His Mother is my favorite on Hollywood Exes and now she takes my affection for her up to yet another level. Her authenticity and down home attitude are just incredible. He is so lucky to have such a wonderful Mother. Love to all of you.
stanhope
@Spike: what a dumb comment…geez
stanhope
@ironcladland: So now that the deed is done [and I agree with you by the way] it is important that we send as much love and support as we can. His being the child of a star can make things all the more difficult. Let us rise to the occasion and support this young’un.
hex0
There is a massive “FTM” fad going on at the moment, some call them “transtrenders”. Either way a woman can’t become a man.
corvaspikenard
@hex0: “There is a massive “FTM” fad going on at the moment, some call them “transtrenders”.”
That’s a quote which could have come directly from the mouth of a separatist ‘political lesbian’ radical feminist. They invented the term ‘transtrenders’ to describe the increased visibility of trans people.
“Either way a woman can’t become a man.”
We’ve been over this before; it’s only a matter of time before medical transition includes the reproductive functions of the trans person’s desired sex.
But even without the reproductive functions, we identify an individuals sex in real life by their secondary sexual characteristics and current gender norms. It’s almost certain you’ve interacted with trans men whom you didn’t know were born female, or trans women you didn’t know were born male.
Why does a person’s reproductive functions have so much importance to you as a gay man? In all useful, day-to-day contexts, most trans people are what they say they are.
inbama
@corvaspikenard:
“Radical Feminists” can be as obnoxious and divorced from reality as “Trans Feminists.” Both sides quote (and more often misquote) studies that confirm their political ideology and both ignore or trash any studies that dispute their claims.
I will give RadFems this point – they are at least trying to protect young gays and lesbians who suffer gender dysphoria from being led into transgenderism by well-meaning parents who will allow quack therapists to inject their children with opposite sex hormones presumably to delay puberty so the child can make “a choice.”
No child can comprehend the consequences of embracing a gender differing from their sex and the lifetime of expensive surgeries, inability to have children, depression, suicide, and the danger from simply using a public restroom.
Further, the opposite sex hormone injections at an early age will impact the child’s brain development. A problem that most gays and lesbians most often simply outgrow will then become destiny.
Look here gay men and lesbians for the kind of lesbian feminist that TransFeminists want you to hate and distrust.
http://www.ted.com/talks/io_tillett_wright_fifty_shades_of_gay
corvaspikenard
@inbama:
“Radical Feminists” can be as obnoxious and divorced from reality as “Trans Feminists.”
Radical feminists are generally pretty great people, actually. There is a very small subset that want trans people eradicated though, commonly referred to as ‘TERFS’ (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists).
Likewise, there are a lot of trans feminists who are pretty great people, but there is a small subset that is obsessed with victimhood and need help moving on from that mindset.
The difference I see is that trans feminists ‘chill out’ as their transition progresses, as they become more comfortable in themselves. TERFs become more bitter and entrenched with age.
I don’t give any credibility to your comments on the ‘good’ that TERFs do. Their agenda is to wipe trans people from the face of the earth or put us in mental institutions, no ‘protect’ anyone.
It’s the same rhetoric that was used by those who want to ‘protect’ children from ‘being turned gay’ by allowing sex education in schools that includes same-sex literature.
“No child can comprehend the consequences of embracing a gender differing from their sex and the lifetime of expensive surgeries, inability to have children, depression, suicide, and the danger from simply using a public restroom.”
Since you’ve never been a trans child, you don’t have any authority to speak on this.
I fully comprehended who I was and what I was and what I needed to move forward with my life. I have know since I was five years old that I am female and I would do almost anything to go back in time and find a way to access puberty blockers so I wouldn’t have been subject to the crushing depression and suicidal ideation brought about by having to go through a male puberty.
You’re spinning falsehoods too. There is no ‘lifetime of expensive surgeries’. I had one surgery. Not having children is a choice some people make – and not everyone is able to have children anyway. I was infertile, so the point was moot.
The other issues you describe, the depression, suicide and danger? They aren’t the fault of the transgender person, they are the result of people who demonise and attack transgender people.
Trans people also show a marked increase in mental health after transition, proving that it is better to transition than it is to remain their birth gender.
Further, the opposite sex hormone injections at an early age will impact the child’s brain development
Please cite your sources for this. There is no current evidence to support cross-sex puberty as being detrimental to brain development.
Nor do therapists just hand out puberty blockers willy-nilly. There is a very strict process for vetting teens who want puberty blockers and there hasn’t yet been a mistake.
You’re scaremongering without factual evidence.
“Look here gay men and lesbians for the kind of lesbian feminist that TransFeminists want you to hate and distrust.”
What a load of rubbish. She supports trans people and I certainly don’t have a problem with her.