The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
From Ben Affleck to Elon Musk, it appears more celebrity children than ever are coming out as transgender or non-binary.
Exclusively revealed earlier this year how Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s child Seraphina Rose appeared at their grandfather’s funeral with a masculine buzz-cut and black suit to announce they were now called Fin and used ‘they/them’ pronouns.
And in July, Elon Musk got into a very public spat with his estranged trans daughter Vivian, born Xavier, who he said used to be a gay boy but had fallen victim to the ‘woke mind virus’.
The idea that there are more trans people in Hollywood is a regular subject of debate on social media channels, with threads such as ‘Why are all celebs kids trans[?]’ on Reddit.
Experts said it is possible that circumstances unique to celebrities — such as fame, wealth and where they live — may raise the likelihood of their children being transgender.
Ben Affleck’s child Fin was christened Seraphina Rose. The youngster revealed in April that they now also use they/them pronouns. The pair are pictured above last month
Dr Raj Persaud, who works with celebrities on London’s famed Harley Street, said there are several reasons for the apparent rise in cases.
He also wanted to make clear his theories point out that they were not his personal views, but rather those currently being discussed in academic circles.
His first theory is wealth.
Transitioning can be expensive, with trans people altering their wardrobe, lifestyle and often also opting for surgeries — with breast removal, or ‘top’ surgery, costing $14,000 to $17,000 while genital surgery can cost north of $300,000.
‘Maybe there are a lot of people who don’t come out as transgender because it is so expensive?,’ said Dr Persaud. ‘Sometimes, having money influences how much you find something.’
He added: ‘What that means is it may be a complicated pathway, and there may be no point in coming forward with a disorder if there is no way to pursue treatment.’
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis with her daughters Ruby, left, who was born Tom, and Annie at the premiere of Halloween Ends in 2022
The second theory he mentioned was that around a possible link between childhood trauma and coming out as transgender.
‘Generally speaking, we find that with things called Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs — like an alcoholic father or acrimonious divorce — there is some evidence that people who are trans have more ACE experiences than the average person.
‘It also may well be the case for the child of a celebrity that they may have many more ACE events than those in the general community.
‘They may be followed around by the paparazzi, their parents may have a very public acrimonious divorce, they are not sure who to trust — all these can put stress on them.’
Multiple studies have linked more ACE events in childhood with a higher likelihood of being transgender.
But it is not clear whether these experiences contribute to someone becoming transgender or may, in some instances, occur as a result of the challenges faced by individuals already navigating their transgender identity.
Dr Persaud added that it was not clear why they were linked, only that an association had been detected.
Affleck’s child Fin, 15, went through their most formative years — between the ages of nine and 13 years — while their parents were going through a very public and messy divorce.
NBA basketball star Dwayne Wade’s 17-year-old born Zion, who became Zaya in 2020, also watched her parents go through a tumultous divorce.
Wade had legal battles with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade over child custody and then repeated legal disputes over the children’s upbringing and matters related to gender.
Zaya came out as transgender when she was 12, but faced a contentious legal battle with her mother until a legal name and gender change was granted in 2020.
Jennifer Lopez was the image of glamour while shopping on Saturday with Emme, 16, one of the twins she shares with her ex-husband Marc Anthony. Emme was revealed to be non-binary in June 2022
Elon Musk’s child was christened Xavier Musk but now identifies as Vivian Jenna Wilson. They are pictured above on Threads
Jamie Lee Curtis’ adopted child, born Tom, was revealed as a trans woman named Ruby in 2021.
Curtis said she and her husband Christopher Guest had initially struggled to adapt — accidentally using Ruby’s ‘dead name’ and getting the pronouns wrong — but insisted she was a ‘grateful student’.
The third — and most controversial — theory that Dr Persaud revealed was the suggestion that celebrity children may be more likely to be trans for attention.
Dr Persaud said that among children who live in the shadows of their parents, there may be a factor at play where they crave to be noticed.
‘For those who are not the child of celebrities, they know that to come out as transgender you are going to get a lot of attention,’ he said.
‘It may be that there are a group of people not choosing the trans life course who otherwise would because they don’t want the attention.
‘But if you are the child of parents who seek attention, and you have attention-seeking genes, and you have a very famous father and mother meaning there is a distinct challenge in how to get attention, then there may be something about this drive for attention and coming out as transgender.’
Sigourney Weaver pictured with daughter Char Simpson in August this year, who was revealed to be non-binary in 2022
Dr Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist in New York City who works with transgender patients, said rather than seeking attention, it could be about establishing their own identity — although he didn’t think this was a strong theory.
‘Our society has become more accepting, and made it a little easier for someone to identify with that group,’ he said.
‘But I do think it has got to be tough to be the child of a rich and famous person, and maybe this is a sort of… rebellion, a way to establish their own identity that is separate from the famous family member.’
He added: ‘I don’t think that’s a strong reason, but it could definitely be a factor.’
Another theory floated by Dr Persaud is that being trans may be linked to the environment in the womb in some cases.
Celebrities may be more likely to have children later in life, he said, which could alter the environment in the womb and lead to the brain being wired differently.
This same theory has also been suggested to explain homosexuality, with researchers claiming that exposure to certain sex hormones in the womb could lead someone to be attracted to the same sex in adulthood.
But evidence of this from human studies is not conclusive, and no causal link has been established.
Helen Joyce, a mathematician and former journalist at The Economist who researches transgender issues — and is a spokesperson for UK charity Sex Matters — added that it may be linked to trends in society.
She said: ‘Another part of this is that it is just fashionable. It’s the latest status symbol to be the parent of a transgender child.
‘I presume it will go out of fashion at some point, but in the meantime somebody who has gone down this path becomes a massive cheerleader for it because they have to convince themselves that they’ve made the right choice.’
The above map shows the states that have outlawed transgender youth participating in sports outside of the gender they were assigned at birth
Harvard-based psychiatrist Dr Frank Anderson disagreed, saying: ‘In Hollywood, you know, celebrities can’t really be their authentic selves because of this public persona.
‘And my sense is that, as a result, they do everything in their power to foster their kids being their authentic selves.
‘So, it would not surprise me at all if they are more liberal, more open and more accepting and also more committed to allowing their child to be their authentic self sooner.’
The experts pointed out that any surge in celebrity kids coming out as transgender is just a ‘small part of the picture’, with estimates suggesting there are 1.6million transgender people in the US.
The number of children identifying as transgender has exploded in recent years — particularly among girls, where it has nearly doubled in recent years.
This has raised concerns in some corners that a large number of children that are not actually transgender are being siphoned into being ‘affirmed’ when they actually have another condition like autism.
A growing number of detransitioners are also emerging from the woodwork, saying they were pushed through gender-affirming care too soon when all they needed was therapy.
This year, the UK became the latest country to row back on treatments for transgender children.
In the Cass report, doctors called for a ‘more cautious approach’ and said children questioning their gender should not be locked into radical treatments.
It follows on from previous research conducted in the Netherlands which found that many gender-confused children ‘grow out of it’.
Results showed that at the start of the two-decade study involving 2,700 children, around one-in-10 youngsters expressed ‘gender non-contentedness’ to varying degrees.
But by the age of 25, just one-in-25 said they were ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ discontent with their gender.
