Marlon Wayans admits he was in 'denial' when his son came out as trans

Hollywood actor Marlon Wayans has opened up about what it’s been like as a parent to a transgender child, admitting he was in “denial” at first. Wayans is best known for his role in White Chicks and the actor recently spoke about his eldest child who is transgender. Speaking on The Breakfast Club radio show, Wayans opened up about his 23-year-old son Kai’s gender identity, revealing that he is transgender. In a discussion about an upcoming stand-up special about the topic, Wayans spoke about the content, explaining: “I have a daughter that transitioned into a son. My daughter Amai is now Kai, and so, I talk about the transition. “Not their transition, but my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance.” He continued the conversation, adding that there are a lot of parents who would benefit from hearing his positive message about his “respect” for his child’s identity. Wayans added: “I think there's a lot of parents out there that need to have that message and I know I'm dealing with it. “It was a very painful situation for me but, man, [the show is] one of the best, funniest hours I could ever imagine.” The proud father said, “I just want my kids to be free. I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves. The more you know yourself, the more you can govern yourself. The more you live your truth, the happier your existence”. Given the current hostile political climate surrounding trans rights, people praised Wayans for his unconditional love and support of his child. “What an incredible man and excellent parent. Wow!” someone commented. Another wrote: “This is beautiful. And the fact that this is coming from a BLACK FATHER makes it more beautiful.” Someone else said: “Love this. The type of dad I strive to be every day.” How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.