Liev Schreiber supports trans daughter in interview: 'Kai was always who Kai is'
Actor Liev Schreiber is opening up about his transgender daughter Kai Schreiber.
Schreiber told Variety in an interview published Thursday that Kai, 16, is largely the same person she always had been as a child.
"Kai was always who Kai is," Schreiber said.
He continued, "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's comments came ahead of the Ali Forney Center's A Place at the Table Gala, which is set to take place Friday night, May 9. The Ali Forney Center's website states that it is "committed to saving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people ... to protect them from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently."
Schreiber and his wife Taylor are set to attend the event with Kai, according to Variety.
"This isn't just about representing the trans community," Schreiber told the outlet. "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. These are people who are being rejected. These are people who are experiencing the harshest version of humanity that we can offer, and some of them are not surviving it."
He added that this harsh reality is worth noting when attending the fundraising event. "We got to bear that in mind when we go out there and glam ourselves up and get ready to be seen, you know?" he said. "That what we're doing is actually raising money for a community that desperately needs it."
The "Ray Donovan" actor said Kai, who is a model, is a "fighter" and expressed the importance of her visibility as a trans woman. "It's important that she goes, 'Hey, I am trans,' and, 'Look at me,'" he said.
Schreiber was cautious when issuing words of advice for parents who may have transgender children.
"I don't know what it's like for you to be a trans dad. I don't know how you were brought up. I don't know what religion you encountered or what your spirituality is. And for me to tell you what I think about my kid feels like an overstep," he said. "I guess if I would say anything to someone who's having trouble with their trans teen or their adolescent trans kid it's '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 said he tries to remain unconcerned with political attacks on the trans community.
"I don't like to dwell on it too much," he said. "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."
Schreiber has three children. He shares Kai and Sasha, 17, with ex Naomi Watts, and shares daughter Hazel Bee, 1, with wife Taylor Schreiber.
"Good Morning America" has reached out to Schreiber for additional comment.
