Robert De Niro’s daughter Airyn thanks her parents and others for support since coming out as trans
De Niro commented: "Thank you to my mom and dad for supporting me, and accepting me, and always being there when I need them"
By Gary Grimes
Airyn De Niro has thanked her father Robert, among other people, for his support since she came out as trans last week.
The aspiring actress came out as a transgender woman in a lengthy profile in them, revealing she had began hormone therapy in November of last year.
Following the article’s publication, Robert gave a statement to Variety saying: “I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don’t know what the big deal is. I love all my children.”
The aspiring actress has since taken to Instagram to respond to the reaction to her coming out. In a video message De Niro said: “I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who sent me all their love and support.
“Friends, family, strangers, old peers from school, thank you for reaching out, it means a lot,” she said, taking pause to particularly thank her them interviewer Ava Pauline Emilione and actress Laverne Cox, who she called out in the profile as one of the Black trans women who inspired her to transition.
“I also want to say thank you to my mom and dad for supporting me, and accepting me, and always being there when I need them,” she said. “I could not have asked for better parents. So thank you.” In the them article she similarly praised her mother, Toukie Smith, and father, whilst noting that “no parents are perfect.”
“I know, I recognise I definitely come from a place of privilege, given the environment I live in and who my family is,” she went on to say.
The 29-year-old also admitted she was uncomfortable with the amount of praise she had received since coming out. “I don’t feel I’m as deserving of those opportunities – or even as much praise as I’m getting,” she said
“While I recognise coming out is an act of bravery, especially given the current climate of things, there are folks who have it much harder than I do.
“To the folks who support, and to those who don’t support me, I ask that we try to be mindful of other people’s circumstances, especially if we don’t know them,” De Niro concluded.