ONTD

9:54 pm - 07/19/2012

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening’s son Stephen Ira talks about gender switch in WeHappyTrans video.


Despite what he's been through, the eldest child of Hollywood couple Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, a 20-year-old born Kathlyn who now goes by Stephen, appears happy and well-adjusted in a new video. The 6-minute-plus clip is part of a series for WeHappyTrans.com, which bills itself as "a place for sharing positive trans perspectives," in which users send in videos of themselves answering seven questions about their transition. Stephen, who says he began his journey at age 14, talked about his friends being his greatest supporters. There was no mention of his Oscar-winning father and Oscar-nominated mother, or his three siblings, 17-year-old Benjamin, 15-year-old Isabel, and 12-year-old Ella. Stephen, who will be a junior at Sarah Lawrence College in New York this fall, says that, for him, it's important "to be frank about my development and be transparent about my changing ideas." He talks quickly and candidly about everything from his style icons (Truman Capote's one) to the change he'd like to see in the world (for people to have a better understanding of others).



The last time Stephen gained national attention was in 2011 when he spoke out against Chaz Bono for the image of transgendered people he presented. Back then, Stephen referred to Bono as "a misogynist who does not represent us." Bono told the New York Times last year that as a man, testosterone had made him less inclined to gossip, and more gadget-oriented. Later, he explained that, "I bear the guy no ill will. I just don't want anyone thinking that he's qualified to offer Trans 101, you know?"

By the time Stephen was born, his parents were already stars. Beatty and Bening, who met when they made the 1991 film "Bugsy," married two months after Stephen's birth. While reports say that Beatty has struggled to accept Stephen's transition and Bening has been supportive, one of Stephen's friends told ABC News last year that the story's been exaggerated. "It's been really rough for him — not just (in high school, where he switched schools), but having a family that much in the limelight," said classmate Sam Schiffer. "His father is Warren Beatty. The National Enquirer said his dad was furious with him. No. His dad is a really supporting guy. But his dad comes from a different time and it's hard to grasp a daughter not being a daughter anymore, but a son. He loves Stephen and has not threatened to kick him out of the house. They've had their problems, but he's a good guy."



SOURCE
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chrisdesu 20th-Jul-2012 12:08 pm (UTC)
i thought it was Ellen page for a second.
isntdaveone 20th-Jul-2012 12:10 pm (UTC)
but his dad comes from a different time

i really dislike this excuse sfm whenever people use it to justify behaviour of any kind.

what, he can't educate himself or try to enhance his life by learning about the issue??
goldengirl66 20th-Jul-2012 12:17 pm (UTC)
The dad can still love him and yet find it difficult to deal with. Stop judging unless you have walked in their shoes
isntdaveone 20th-Jul-2012 12:19 pm (UTC)
I have walked in their shoes.

I am passionate about this issue because it hits very close to home. more than you know.

STOP BEING A BULLY.

Edited at 2012-07-20 12:20 pm (UTC)
thetrustoryofme 20th-Jul-2012 12:30 pm (UTC)
while i agree, a lot of cultural things are engrained at such a basic level that they are hard to get over. im sure he's educated himself and made a lot of progress towards accepting and supporting whats going on, but he's older and from a more conservative time. you cant just forget about how you were raised and the perceptions of some actions overnight. him trying and making progress is all that anyone can really expect or ask for (as it is with anyone).
jackpeyton 20th-Jul-2012 12:44 pm (UTC)
i think its a valid thing to say, but not a valid excuse. im sure it was very hard for his father to understand and accept this. It likely took/takes a lot of education. It isnt like WB said fuck him and kicked him out/left/shut him out. Just that its been hard for him, and i dont think thats unreasonable.
lizrocks 20th-Jul-2012 12:53 pm (UTC)
Agreed. I get that that upbringing is an issue he has to overcome and all but he still has to overcome it.
run_atreyu 20th-Jul-2012 01:53 pm (UTC)
I hate that excuse, too. Not only because people are always capable of learning and evolving, but because it also ignores the many older people who do move with the times, and don't just remain bigoted and judgmental of things that weren't widely publicised when they were younger.
revelried 20th-Jul-2012 12:14 pm (UTC)
he looks a lot like his dad, what a cute kid
ladypolitik 20th-Jul-2012 12:39 pm (UTC)
Completely. I cant watch youtube videos atm but even from just the freeze frame I was like "whoa" at the resemblance.
dives 20th-Jul-2012 03:06 pm (UTC)
mte, it's striking
fuk_q 20th-Jul-2012 10:33 pm (UTC)
ia, he is cute
jeveuxsavoir 20th-Jul-2012 12:14 pm (UTC)
He seems like a cool kid who's got his shit together, which is more than can be said for most people his age.

Plus he has good taste in baseball teams if the second pic is anything to go by.
goldengirl66 20th-Jul-2012 12:15 pm (UTC)
it must be devastating to suddenly not have a daughter any more, i can't imagine how much of a mindfuck it is for parents and siblings. I know it's what the person wants and it's not PC to challenge anybody who wants to change their gender, but i hope they realise how difficult it must be for their parents before they class them as unsupportive or unloving. I'm imagining my parents who are in their 70's, i can't imagine what they would do if i announced i wanted to become a man, change my name etc.

It's a very complicated situation
jmfunnyface 20th-Jul-2012 12:25 pm (UTC)
I feel the same way. My Aunt (who was married to a man for 15 years) now has a girlfriend. My nephew is biracial. Both were initially a shock for my 80+ year old grandparents who got shit in their youth for even thinking of dating someone not Italian American. They both have come so far, and I'm really proud of them for that.
hoot 20th-Jul-2012 12:35 pm (UTC)
I felt bad for Cher when people were trashing her for talking about how difficult it was when Chaz started transitioning. I've heard a lot of parents of transgender people talk about how it's basically a death. You're basically mourning the loss of the child you had, even if you are gaining a "new" one. While I will judge the people who disown their children who go through this, I completely understand the parents who need to take some time adjusting to it.
clownfrogg 21st-Jul-2012 03:13 pm (UTC)
I feel that only someone who hasn't experienced the death of someone close to them would equate being transgender to losing a child forever.

This bothers me. Your personality isn't dead/gone/changed; just your physical body is changed.
thetrustoryofme 20th-Jul-2012 12:40 pm (UTC)
one of my good friends recently began their transition, so i saw first hand how it happened in their family. while i had always known her as being transgendered, it was hidden from her family for years. her father panicked, but her mom and sister were very supportive and better at the whole "this isnt about me; its about you doing what you need to do to be happy, and i will support whatever that is" in the forefront of their minds in the beginning which really helped keep the situation positive.
lizrocks 20th-Jul-2012 12:57 pm (UTC)
it must be devastating to suddenly not have a daughter any more,

He's not dead tho. He's not even different. He's just not what they thought he was/wanted him to be. And I think that with all that trans* kids go through worrying about their family's reaction/feelings (when family should *support* first and foremost) should be at the bottom of their list.
recognitions 20th-Jul-2012 03:17 pm (UTC)
Good thing it's not difficult at all for the person who's actually trans.
ascot_gavotte 20th-Jul-2012 10:30 pm (UTC)
I feel for the family/friends of someone who is trans but ultimately they need to overcome their issues because it's not all about them.
cerseilannister 20th-Jul-2012 12:17 pm (UTC)
He seems like a good kid
loganx2 20th-Jul-2012 12:24 pm (UTC)
awww I kinda love him. great video. I cant decide if it's telling that the answer to the questions of "who has been most supportive" was a list of friends and not family or maybe he just didnt want to mention celeb parents. or maybe Im just reading too much into it.

ps. I love that he talks really fast.
lizrocks 20th-Jul-2012 01:04 pm (UTC)
. I cant decide if it's telling that the answer to the questions of "who has been most supportive" was a list of friends and not family or maybe he just didnt want to mention celeb parents.

Ya. I'm hoping the same.
ascot_gavotte 20th-Jul-2012 10:33 pm (UTC)
well he could've just said "my parents." so I'm guessing that the friends were more supportive.
oh7 20th-Jul-2012 12:26 pm (UTC)
Good for them and I can understand a parent, family and friends not instantly being 100 percent understanding of a woman becoming a man or vice versa, but you just have to love the person for their actions not just how they fit into society.
wkndrckstr 20th-Jul-2012 12:28 pm (UTC)
I've read his blog... he seems so smart and eloquent.
leopard_legs 20th-Jul-2012 01:05 pm (UTC)
Well good for him. I wish him all the best with his journey!
nicholasdee 20th-Jul-2012 01:09 pm (UTC)
By the time Stephen was born, his parents were already stars.

does this need to be said? Warren Beatty was a star in the early 60s.

either way, not really relevant to the post, just thought it was a weird way to start a paragraph.

The video was interesting. Good for Stephen for being so self assured at a young age.
beokitty 20th-Jul-2012 01:24 pm (UTC)
omg, hes so cute!
ceilidh_ann 20th-Jul-2012 01:28 pm (UTC)
He's pretty badass. I may have a bit of a crush.
hola_meg_a_cola 20th-Jul-2012 01:54 pm (UTC)
Damn, Warren is looking fucking weathered.

Oh, and his son is a qt pie <3
jessiedwheelie 20th-Jul-2012 02:36 pm (UTC)
This kid is fucking adorable. I didn't know a thing about him before clicking on the video and I now want to be his friend. Like, seriously.
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