Renowned actress Annette Bening, celebrated for her acclaimed career with four Oscar nominations, took a strong stance against transphobia while accepting GLSEN’s Advocate Award at the recent Rise Up LA benefit. Bening, the mother of a transgender son, Stephen Ira, delivered a stern warning to transphobes, emphasizing her newfound commitment to speaking out on trans rights issues.
Bening expressed her concern over the rising influence of transphobia within government institutions, from local to federal levels. She highlighted the disturbing trend of transphobia being exploited as a political tool by far-right factions to mobilize their supporters and influence elections.
In a poignant moment, Bening shared a harrowing anecdote about a friend who had to relocate from Texas to California to protect her trans child from potential legal repercussions. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott’s controversial policy had ordered investigations into families supporting gender-affirming care for their children, equating it with child abuse. Bening’s friend was forced to prepare her child with a burner phone and explicit instructions in case child protective services intervened, an act that turned her into, as Bening put it, a “political refugee within our own country.”
Bening concluded her speech with a message of hope and unity, emphasizing the importance of love, compassion, and radical understanding in the fight for trans rights. She called for these values to lead the way, not only towards acceptance and joy within the LGBTQ+ community but also to the ballot box.
Annette Bening’s impassioned advocacy for trans rights serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle against transphobia and the need for greater understanding and acceptance in society.