Jamie Lee Curtis Says She Will ‘Fight And Defend’ Trans Daughter Against Intolerance

Aug 15, 2023 by apost team

Jamie Lee Curtis is a woman of many talents, but perhaps her most important role is that of a mother to her two daughters, Ruby and Annie Guest.

In the August/September 2021 issue of AARP Magazine, actress Curtis revealed that her youngest child, Ruby, whom she adopted with her husband, filmmaker Christopher Guest, was a transgender woman. Curtis shared the information about her daughter, Ruby, after asking for her permission. Ruby has worked as a producer and voiceover artist, as well as a game designer, whereas Curtis' eldest child, Annie, is a dance instructor.

For anyone who has embraced their identity as a trans person, it is always a challenging journey, from coming out to people you love to go through transitioning; but with a supportive circle and loving parents, this can be made easier. For Curtis' daughter, this was certainly the case with her parents, as they were immediately accepting of her new identity. 

However, for parents, this can be a challenging journey as there is more than just seeing your child's appearance change. In an interview with PEOPLE in October 2021, both Curtis and her daughter opened up in an interview about how Ruby first came out to them and how things have gone since. 

This was the first time that both mother and daughter sat down together and spoke about Ruby's trans journey, and it is clear from their interactions that Ruby is close to her parents. Both mother and daughter opened up about how Ruby's transition has affected their family. Since then, Curtis has been vocal about her support for Ruby and the trans community.

Today, Curtis is watching as her own children’s lives transform, as they find their careers and way in life. Speaking on her daughter Ruby’s decision to come out as a transgender woman, Curtis told AARP that she understands that gender isn’t fixed and that life is a “constant metamorphosis.”

Curtis continued by saying that she and her husband “have watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby.”

“And she and her fiancé will get married next year at a wedding that I will officiate,” Curtis added.

In their PEOPLE interview, both mother and daughter spoke about the time that Ruby, who is now 27 years old, first came out. After sitting her parents down and telling them that she had to open up to them about something important, Ruby wasn't able to actually come out to her parents while sitting down with them. Instead, she texted them about it. 

"It was scary — just the sheer fact of telling them something about me they didn't know," Ruby said. "It was intimidating — but I wasn't worried. They had been so accepting of me my entire life."

Curtis recalled: "I called her immediately. Needless to say there were some tears involved." PEOPLE reported while both mother and daughter are more at ease with each other these days, their journey hadn’t been without a few bumps along the way. 

"It's speaking a new language," the 64-year-old said. "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."

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Curtis told PEOPLE that, as a mother who is learning the ropes of being a mom to Ruby: "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." She also added, "But if one person reads this, sees a picture of Ruby and me and says, 'I feel free to say this is who I am,' then it's worth it."

Ruby said she doesn't get angry at her parents for any missteps they might make. Curtis chimed in:

"I think that's sort of evolutionary and a very important step in our home. We have tried to maintain it in a big way. I'm learning a lot from Ruby." 

Ruby was also asked how her parents' fame has impacted her own life and whether it added any pressure on her to come out. "Yeah, no one knows anything about me, and I've tried my best until now to keep it that way. But I'm happy to talk about my experiences now," she said.

She added: "Like, people will still remember me for who I was, but I haven't changed that. They finally get to see who I've always been, you know, inside, but now I finally get to show it on the outside. But me coming out has nothing to do with my mom being famous. I've tried to stay out of the spotlight for many years, or at least done my best to. I'm happy to be more visible if it helps others." 

Curtis piped in to say: "I'm a grateful student... But I want to know: How can I do this better?" and Ruby replied, "You've done the most you can, and that's all I want."

Since Ruby has come out, Curtis has shown nothing but love and support for her daughter. As she joined Ruby on her journey, Curtis has also proved herself to be a vocal supporter of the trans community at large as well. In March 2022, she used the occasion of Ruby’s birthday to share a pointed message in defense of trans rights and the “profoundly simple idea that everyone living here should be free to dream and achieve what they want freely.” 

In July 2023, Curtis again opened up about her relationship with Ruby, revealing how much she has become a staunch ally and supporter of her daughter and the trans community. She told Morning Joe that “life is about love” and thus, “being a parent is about love, and I love Ruby. Love her.”

Curtis also had an impassioned message to share about her experience so far and said:

“People have said, 'You're so great to accept her love.' What are you talking about? This is my daughter, this human being has come to me and said, 'This is who I am.' And my job is to say, 'Welcome home.' I will fight and defend her right to exist to anyone who claims that she doesn't."

While the “Halloween” actress is committed to defending trans rights, even Curtis admitted that she doesn’t have all the answers.

“I'm trying to learn the most important thing is that I don't know everything. And I, I wake up every day sober, saying, 'I don't know everything.' I don't know a lot. There are a lot of things I don't know about. And there's a lot of this that I need to learn,” she conceded.

What do you think about Ruby's journey as a trans person and her support from her mother? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to your friends as well.