R&B star R Kelly’s silence on his daughter’s announcement that she is transgender has left many wondering whether the 47-year-old singer approves.
R Kelly and ‘Hollywood Exes’ star Andrea Kelly’s youngest daughter Jaya made the big announcement last month via social media site Ask.fm.
Jaya explained that she has identified as a boy since the age of ‘6 or 7’, adding that she would now like to be known as Jay.
Jaya also expressed her eagerness to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Andrea was the first person 14-year-old Jay told.
"I told her because I knew she would love me no matter what, she has not once judged me in life," she wrote. "She always told me that she loved me and to be who I truly am."
Mother’s reaction:
This week Andrea told VH1 how she feels about Jaya’s revelation.
“All I can say about Jay is he makes it so easy to be a proud mom. For parents, we need to realize, [our kids] have their own journey. Parents get it wrong when they don’t support their children. They have to go out and fight every day and face this world.”
“The first battle should not be at home. I think that a lot of children in the LGBT community don’t succeed because the one thing they need the most is foundation. I just tell Jay all the time, baby you won the war. You’re gonna have a lot of battles but you won the war. Mama accepts and loves you for who you are. Your family does,” she said.
Father’s reaction:
When questioned about his child’s online confession last month, R Kelly seemed to dismiss the news as ‘just another lie made up by bloggers’
"As far as that's concerned, always believe what you see — with your own eyes that is. Always believe what you see. That's the best way to go about this business. I've heard a lot of things about a lot of people, and it was never true," the singer said during an interview with Chicago’s WGCI.
He did however proclaim his love for his children ‘no matter what or who they are’
"You save money so your kids can go to college. No matter what they are or who they are, they are still your kids, you love them. You got to support them. ... At the end of the day it's not about me no more. It's about three lovely, lovely kids that I am in love with and that's in love with me."
The singer has not made any more comments on this matter since then, although his ex-wife told TMZ that he still refers to Jaya as his daughter.
"That's like calling him [R. Kelly] a background singer, not the king of R&B," she was quoted saying.
Jaya is the third child of R Kelly and dancer Andrea who were married for eleven years before they divorced in 2009. They have three children together, Robert Jr, Joann and Jay.
Transgender definition according to Glaad.org:
Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
For transgender people, the sex they were assigned at birth and their own internal gender identity do not match.
Does R.Kelly support his transgender daughter?
R&B star R Kelly’s silence on his daughter’s announcement that she is transgender has left many wondering whether the 47-year-old singer approves.
R Kelly and ‘Hollywood Exes’ star Andrea Kelly’s youngest daughter Jaya made the big announcement last month via social media site Ask.fm.
Jaya explained that she has identified as a boy since the age of ‘6 or 7’, adding that she would now like to be known as Jay.
Jaya also expressed her eagerness to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Andrea was the first person 14-year-old Jay told.
"I told her because I knew she would love me no matter what, she has not once judged me in life," she wrote. "She always told me that she loved me and to be who I truly am."
Mother’s reaction:
This week Andrea told VH1 how she feels about Jaya’s revelation.
“All I can say about Jay is he makes it so easy to be a proud mom. For parents, we need to realize, [our kids] have their own journey. Parents get it wrong when they don’t support their children. They have to go out and fight every day and face this world.”
“The first battle should not be at home. I think that a lot of children in the LGBT community don’t succeed because the one thing they need the most is foundation. I just tell Jay all the time, baby you won the war. You’re gonna have a lot of battles but you won the war. Mama accepts and loves you for who you are. Your family does,” she said.
Father’s reaction:
When questioned about his child’s online confession last month, R Kelly seemed to dismiss the news as ‘just another lie made up by bloggers’
"As far as that's concerned, always believe what you see — with your own eyes that is. Always believe what you see. That's the best way to go about this business. I've heard a lot of things about a lot of people, and it was never true," the singer said during an interview with Chicago’s WGCI.
He did however proclaim his love for his children ‘no matter what or who they are’
"You save money so your kids can go to college. No matter what they are or who they are, they are still your kids, you love them. You got to support them. ... At the end of the day it's not about me no more. It's about three lovely, lovely kids that I am in love with and that's in love with me."
The singer has not made any more comments on this matter since then, although his ex-wife told TMZ that he still refers to Jaya as his daughter.
"That's like calling him [R. Kelly] a background singer, not the king of R&B," she was quoted saying.
Jaya is the third child of R Kelly and dancer Andrea who were married for eleven years before they divorced in 2009. They have three children together, Robert Jr, Joann and Jay.
Transgender definition according to Glaad.org:
Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
For transgender people, the sex they were assigned at birth and their own internal gender identity do not match.
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