Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones reveals his teenage son has come out as transgender
Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones has revealed that his 15-year-old son is transgender.
The musician spoke for the first time about his son Colby’s transition in an interview with Fearne Cotton on her Happy Place podcast.
Explaining that his son had initially came out as gay, Jones said: “It’s an ongoing process. [He] worked out it’s not just the sexuality thing, it’s the gender thing, and now it’s become more and more about transitioning… now his name is Colby and it’s ‘he’, in an all girls’ school. The school have been amazing, supporting the whole thing.”
Stereophonics frontman explains why he struggled to accept his son’s gender identity
Jones said he had struggled to accept his son’s transition, admitting: “For me, I had no clue or understanding about any of that stuff, and as a family it’s been playing catch-up.”
He said it had been an emotional experience, adding: “For a while it was just becoming more intense and I remember getting upset one night, and I sounded like an animal, because I couldn’t work out what was going on. You actually go through a grieving process because you feel like you’ve lost a daughter and gained a son.
“Then you’re responsible for the siblings, and how they’re going to deal with it, and the grandparents.”
Kelly Jones of Stereophonics struggled to accept his son’s transition (Photo by Mike Lewis Photography/WireImage)
He continued: “The only thing you can really end up getting to is acceptance, really, and I’m at acceptance with it, and we’re all fully supportive. But it’s about resistance to your own prejudices, be it from films or the derogatory terms you heard as a kid… all that comes into your head the moment you hear the word ‘trans’ or ‘transgender’.”
Jones said that the non-binary singer Sam Smith helped him work through some of his issues. He added: “I’m definitely growing and learning from it, and I see it everywhere now… you recognise it once your eyes have been turned on to something, the prejudices.”
Kelly Jones says son is doing much better since coming out as trans.
The Stereophonics singer said his son has blossomed since transitioning.
He continued: “Now I don’t feel like I’ve lost anybody at all… Colby’s in the house, his sister Misty made him a painting for Christmas with the word ‘Colby’ on it. All these little sweet things.
“On Christmas Eve, we had about 20 people round the house. He’s always been really nervous about doing songs in school… but he walked downstairs and started singing some song he heard off YouTube in front of everybody. It’s almost like you take off one jacket and feel much more confident about who you are as yourself.”
Jones previously penned a song about Colby coming out as gay – before he came out as trans.
