Liev Schreiber has spoken publicly for the first time about his 16-year-old daughter Kai, who is transgender. The 'Ray Donovan' star revealed that Kai never formally came out to him and her mother, actress Naomi Watts, as she had always expressed her femininity. 'Kai was always who Kai is,' Schreiber said. 'But I suppose the most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns. To be honest with you, it didn't feel like that big of a deal to me only because Kai had been so feminine for so long.'
Schreiber and Kai will attend the Ali Forney Center's A Place at the Table Gala in New York City on Friday. The centre provides housing and support for homeless LGBTQ youth, serving over 2,200 young people through its drop-in centre and network of emergency and transitional housing sites. Schreiber emphasised the importance of supporting those facing rejection and hardship, noting that Kai, who made her modelling debut in March for Valentino, is aware of her privilege. 'This isn't just about representing the trans community,' he said. 'This is actually a community of people who don't have great resources, who don't have access to help, who aren't being protected and looked after by their families.'
Schreiber praised Kai's embrace of her identity, calling her a 'fighter' and saying, 'It's important that she goes, "Hey, I am trans," and, "Look at me."' When asked for advice to parents of trans children, he cautioned against universal answers, adding with a laugh, 'Teenagers are a headache. They're hard. It doesn't matter whether they're trans or not because you'll come out of this. But a trans teen is going to be a teen. They're such a pain so much of the time, and Kai is as feisty and outspoken as they come.'
Schreiber also addressed political attacks on the trans community, including the Supreme Court's recent upholding of a ban on trans military service members. He expressed cautious optimism, saying, 'I don't like to dwell on it too much. To some degree, I feel like I don't want to overcook that fear or that anxiety. There's enough in the world to be anxious and afraid about.'
