Annette Bening Shares What She's Learned From Her Transgender Son Stephen

etonline.com:

Annette Bening is a proud mom and a progressive activist who has long been inspired and influenced by her own son, Stephen. She recently spoke with and reflected on her public support of the LGBTQ+ community.«I have a trans son, and he is such an inspiration to me.

Certainly, what’s happening in the political world with trans people is so concerning and so dire,» Bening shared in the profile interview. «It’s only going to get worse as we go into the election cycle.»As a member of the Screen Actors Guild — who are currently on strike — Bening did not speak on or promote any forthcoming film projects but rather discussed her role as the chair of the Entertainment Community Fund and her political passions.In recent years, Bening said she's been more moved than ever to speak out and support the causes most important to her as the political divide in the country has widened and rhetoric has gotten increasingly vitriolic.«For me, the real transition has happened as the right-wing in the country has become more and more mobilized on misinforming people about the LGBTQ+ community,» Bening said. «They have been vilifying our community and creating problems that do not exist and creating and sowing hate and fear as a way of rallying their base.»Bening explained that she finds it «heartbreaking» to see the «coldness and lack of compassion that so many people have.»«They are trying to stir up all this fear in people about trans kids and parents, and they are trying to legislate that,» Bening said. «This should not be scary to anybody else.