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Jamie Lee Curtis’ daughter recalls coming out to her parents as transgender

“It was scary — just the sheer fact of telling them something about me they didn’t know,” Curtis' daughter Ruby said.
Jamie Lee Curtis attends The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala on Sept. 25, 2021, in Los Angeles.
Jamie Lee Curtis at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opening gala in Los Angeles on Sept. 25.Amy Sussman / Getty Images file

Jamie Lee Curtis’ daughter Ruby has opened up about the “scary” moment when she decided to come out to her parents as transgender last year.

Ruby, 25, spoke to People alongside Curtis, 62, about the day she told her mother and father, actor/director Christopher Guest. She said she initially planned to tell them at the family’s Los Angeles home.

“It was scary — just the sheer fact of telling them something about me they didn’t know,” Ruby said. “It was intimidating — but I wasn’t worried. They had been so accepting of me my entire life.”

Curtis said there were “tears involved” when she called her daughter after she got a text from Ruby following the moment at their home. 

The “Halloween Kills” star spoke about how she is supporting Ruby while admitting that she has made some mistakes along the way.

“It’s speaking a new language,” Curtis told People. “It’s learning new terminology and words. I am new at it. I am not someone who is pretending to know much about it. And I’m going to blow it, I’m going to make mistakes. I would like to try to avoid making big mistakes.”

She added, “But if one person reads this, sees a picture of Ruby and me and says, ‘I feel free to say this is who I am,’ then it’s worth it.”

Curtis shared a graphic of the People story on Instagram with a quote from her daughter that was part of the interview.

“‘Helping others is something everyone should do. I don’t think it’s only our household thing. It should be a human thing,’” Curtis wrote, quoting Ruby. “Ruby I am proud to be your mother. Today more than ever.”

Ruby shared that she first started having feelings that she may be transgender at about 16 but did not come out until her 20s after “a negative experience in therapy.”

“Then, seven years later, still being Tom at the time, I told the person who is now my fiancé that I am probably trans,” Ruby said. “And they said, ‘I love you for who you are.’”

Curtis said she had never heard Ruby say her dead name since she came out as transgender. She admitted that she and her husband still sometimes slip up with Ruby’s name and pronouns.

“I don’t get mad at them for that,” Ruby said.

Ruby has also navigated her journey as a child of famous parents.

“But me coming out has nothing to do with my mom being famous,” she said. “I’ve tried to stay out of the spotlight for many years, or at least done my best to. I’m happy to be more visible if it helps others.”

Curtis echoed that she hopes to help others by showing her support for her daughter.

“I’m not proselytizing, and I’m not trying to force-feed something to people,” Curtis said. “I’m simply saying, ‘This is our family’s experience.’ I am here to support Ruby. That is my job. Just as it is to care and love and support her older sister Annie in her journeys. I’m a grateful student. I’m learning so much from Ruby. The conversation is ongoing. But I want to know: How can I do this better?”

This story originally appeared on TODAY.com

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