All the brilliant, beautiful ways Jamie Lee Curtis has showed up for the trans community
Jamie Lee Curtis is the ultimate trans ally. (Getty)
At a time when trans rights are under greater threat than ever before, scream queen and proud LGBTQ+ ally Jamie Lee Curtis is continuing to use her voice to stand up for the trans community.
Whether you know her best as the ultimate horror final girl, Lindsay Lohan’s mum or Michelle Yeoh’s hot dog lover, Jamie Lee Curtis has truly played everyone and everything (all at once).
Over the course of her illustrious career, which kicked off with the 1978 smash hit film Halloween and most recently saw her scoop her first Academy Award for indie Asian-American action dramedy Everything Everywhere All at Once, the beloved Hollywood actor has also been a staunch LGBTQ+ ally.
Ever since her daughter, Ruby Guest, first came out as trans in 2020, Curtis has joined the growing group of celebrities such as Pedro Pascal and Dwyane Wade who are unapologetically supporting their trans family members.
So, if you were in any doubt that the JLC could get any more iconic, read ahead to find out all the ways she’s been the ultimate trans ally.
Taking every opportunity to champion her daughter
Jamie Lee Curtis first announced her 26-year-old daughter was trans during an interview with AARP Magazine in 2020, saying she “watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby”.
In an interview with People in October 2021, Ruby, a video game editor, revealed she “wasn’t worried [about coming out]. They had been so accepting of me my entire life.”
Curtis also reiterated how she wasn’t bothering to explain or justify her daughter’s identity. “I’m not trying to force-feed something to people. I’m simply saying, ‘This is our family’s experience.’ I am here to support Ruby. That is my job.”
And in the sweetest Twitter exchange, Curtis wished Ruby happy birthday. “I am proud to be your mother and am sending support to all trans families across the US targeted by conservative legislatures & I VOW to use my freedom of speech to support my child & all trans children trying to live freely as who they are”.
Ruby then replied: “My mom has supported me all the way ever since I came out as trans. I love her so much. There are allies everywhere for the trans community. You just need to look for them and we will stand by your side for the long run.”
Officiating Ruby’s wedding in the best way
As well as supporting Ruby in her everyday life, she also pulled out all the stops by officiating her wedding in May 2022.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last year, she revealed that the wedding had a World of Warcraft theme, complete with matching costumes. “It’s a game, I don’t know,” she admitted, “she’s an admiral. I went on Etsy and wrote ‘Jaina Proudmoore costume’ and up came a woman, had the costume.
“I said, ‘Great.’ We exchanged communication, I paid her a nice sum of money for this.”
And it seems it all paid off, judging from the spectacular photos from the big day. “YES THEY DO AND DID! MARRIED! RUBY and KYNTHIA,” Curtis wrote in an Instagram post alongside a photo of the newlyweds.
She later described the wedding day as “beautiful” and Kynthia as “sweet”.
Using her platform to condemn rising trans hate
Alongside celebrating her daughter, Curtis has also used her platform to speak out against increasing anti-trans legislation and hateful rhetoric towards trans people in mainstream media.
Speaking on Cadena SER Radio, she explained: “I have a trans daughter. There are threats against her life just [for] her existence as a human being. There are people that want to annihilate her and people like her.
“The level of hatred… [It’s] as if we haven’t learned from fascism, [as if] we haven’t learned what the result of that is: The extermination of human beings. That is terrifying.”
The veteran Hollywood actor also affirmed that she is using her voice to push for change.
“Jamie Lee Curtis is scared and you should be too,” she said. “And Jamie Lee Curtis has a voice and she’s trying to use it, and you should too. And that’s how we change things. We think about them, we learn about them and then we use our voices to bring attention to them and fight against them.”
And after she faced backlash for her comments, she doubled down by tweeting: “I am NOT looking to cancel anyone. I AM looking to OPPOSE antisemitism, white supremacy, fascism, transphobia and other oppressive regimes and ideologies where the sole intent is the silencing, obliteration and annihilation of others.”
Admitting she is always learning something new
Throughout her journey of allyship, Curtis has consistently been open about the fact that she is always growing.
“It’s learning new terminology and words. I am new at it. I am not someone who is pretending to know much about it. And I’m going to blow it, I’m going to make mistakes. I would like to try to avoid making big mistakes,” she told People.
“You slow your speech down a little. You become a little more mindful about what you’re saying. How you’re saying it. You still mess up, I’ve messed up today twice. We’re human.
“I’m a grateful student. I’m learning so much from Ruby. The conversation is ongoing. But I want to know: How can I do this better?”
Curtis also told AARP that she is getting rid of her “old ideas” of gender and going through a “constant metamorphosis”.
Giving her Oscars statuette they/them pronouns
Being a trans ally doesn’t stop during awards season for Curtis. As well as addressing the need to introduce gender neutral categories after winning the trophy for best supporting actress at the 95th Academy Awards, she also dedicated her Oscar to her daughter.
In an interview with The Today Show, she explained that she had given her award they/them pronouns. “In support of my daughter Ruby I’m having them be a they/them,” she explained. “I’m just gonna call them ‘they/them’ and they are doing great, they are settling in.”
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