From Ben Affleck to Naomi Watts to Elon Musk, it seems more celebrity children than ever are coming out as transgender or nonbinary.
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed earlier this year how Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s daughter Seraphina Rose turned up at her grandfather’s funeral with a boyish haircut and a black suit to announce they were now called Fin and using “they/them” pronouns.
And in July, Elon Musk had a very public falling out with his estranged trans daughter Vivian, née 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 a common topic of debate on social media, with threads like “Why are all the children of famous people trans(?)” on Reddit.
Experts who spoke to DailyMail.com said it’s possible that celebrities’ unique circumstances – such as fame, wealth and where they live – could increase the likelihood of their children being transgender.
Ben Affleck’s daughter Fin was christened Seraphina Rose. The little girl revealed in April that they now use “they” pronouns as well. The couple is pictured together last month.
Dr Raj Persaud, who works with celebrities on London’s famous Harley Street, said there were several reasons for the apparent rise in cases.
He also wanted to make it clear that his theories were not his personal opinions, but rather those currently being discussed in academic circles.
His first theory is wealth.
Transitioning can be expensive, as trans people modify their wardrobe, lifestyle and often opt for surgery as well: breast removal, or “top” surgery, costs between $14,000 and $17,000, while genital surgery can cost more than $300,000.
“Maybe there are a lot of people who don’t come out as transgender because it’s too expensive,” Dr. Persaud said. “Sometimes having money influences the price you pay for something.”
He added: “What that means is that it can be a complicated path and there may be no point in having a disorder if there is no way to seek treatment.”
Naomi Watts, 55 (left) and her transgender daughter Kai, 15 (right) pictured together in April this year
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 she mentioned was a possible link between childhood trauma and coming out as transgender.
‘Generally speaking, we find that with so-called Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs (such as an alcoholic parent or a contentious divorce), there is some evidence that trans people have more ACE experiences than the average person.
‘It may also be that the child of a celebrity has many more ACE events than those in the general community.
‘They may be followed by paparazzi, their parents may have a public and heated divorce, they are not sure who to trust… all of this can cause stress.’
Multiple studies have linked more childhood ACE events with a higher likelihood of being transgender.
But it’s unclear whether these experiences contribute to someone becoming transgender or may, in some cases, occur as a result of challenges faced by people 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 son Fin, 15, went through his most formative years, between the ages of nine and 13, while his parents were going through a very public and messy divorce.
Zion, the 17-year-old daughter of NBA basketball star Dwayne Wade, who became Zaya in 2020, also watched her parents go through a tumultuous divorce.
Wade had legal battles with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade over child custody and then repeated legal disputes over parenting and gender-related issues.
Zaya came out as transgender when she was 12, but faced a contentious legal battle with her mother until she was granted a legal name and gender change in 2020.
Jennifer Lopez was the picture of glamour as she went shopping on Saturday with Emme, 16, one of the twins she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony. Emme was revealed to be non-binary in June 2022.
Elon Musk’s son was christened Xavier Musk, but now identifies himself as Vivian Jenna Wilson. They appear in the photo above on Threads
Jamie Lee Curtis’ adopted son, born Tom, was revealed to be a trans woman named Ruby in 2021.
Curtis said she and husband Christopher Guest initially had a hard time adjusting (they accidentally used Ruby’s “dead name” and got pronouns wrong), but insisted she was a “grateful student.”
The third – and most controversial – theory Dr Persaud uncovered was the suggestion that children of celebrities might be more likely to be trans to gain attention.
Dr. Persaud said that among children who live in the shadow of their parents, there may be a factor at play that leads them to crave to be noticed.
“Those who are not children of celebrities know that if they come out as transgender, they’re going to get a lot of attention,” she said.
‘There may be a group of people who don’t choose the trans path but would otherwise do so because they don’t want attention.
“But if you’re the child of attention-seeking parents, and you have attention-seeking genes, and you have a very famous mother and father, which means there’s a particular challenge in how to get attention, then there may be something to this drive to get attention and come out as transgender.”
Sigourney Weaver pictured with her daughter Char Simpson in August this year, who was revealed to be non-binary in 2022
Dr. Jonathan Alpert, a New York City psychotherapist who works with transgender patients, said that rather than seeking attention, it could be about establishing one’s own identity, although he doesn’t think that’s a solid theory.
“Our society has become more tolerant and it’s made it a little bit easier for someone to identify with that group,” he said.
“But I think it must be tough being the son of a rich and famous person, and maybe this is a kind of… rebellion, a way to establish your own identity separate from the famous family member.”
He added: “I don’t think it’s a compelling reason, but it could definitely be a factor.”
Another theory put forward by Dr. Persaud is that being trans may be related 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 cause the brain to be 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 from human studies is inconclusive and no causal link has been established.
Helen Joyce, a mathematician and former Economist journalist who researches transgender issues and is a spokeswoman for the British charity Sex Matters, added that it could be linked to trends in society.
She said: ‘Another part of it is that it’s just trendy. It’s the ultimate status symbol to be the parent of a transgender child.
“I guess it will go out of fashion at some point, but in the meantime, someone who has followed that path becomes a great advocate for it because they have to convince themselves that they made the right decision.”
The map above shows states that have banned transgender youth from participating in sports outside of the gender they were assigned at birth.
Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Frank Anderson disagrees, saying, “In Hollywood, you know, celebrities can’t really be their authentic selves because of this public persona.
‘And I get the sense that as a result, they do everything in their power to encourage their children to be themselves.
‘So I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they were more liberal, more open and more tolerant and also more committed to allowing their children to be authentically themselves as early as possible.’
Experts said the rise in children of celebrities coming out as transgender is only a “small part of the picture,” with estimates suggesting there are 1.6 million transgender people in the United States.
The number of children identifying as transgender has skyrocketed in recent years, particularly among girls, where it has nearly doubled in recent years.
This has raised concerns in some quarters that large numbers of children who are not actually transgender are being tricked into being “affirmed” when they actually have another condition such as autism.
An increasing number of people who are disinhibited are also coming forward out of the woodwork, saying they were pushed into gender-affirming treatment too soon when all they needed was therapy.
This year, the UK became the latest country to backtrack on treatment for transgender children.
In Cass’s report, doctors called for a “more cautious approach” and said children who question their gender should not be forced into radical treatments.
This follows previous research in the Netherlands which concluded that many gender confused children “outgrow it”.
The results showed that at the start of the two-decade study involving 2,700 children, about one in 10 young people expressed “gender dissatisfaction” to varying degrees.
But by age 25, only one in 25 said they were “often” or “sometimes” unhappy with their gender.
