Jamie Lee Curtis says she’s ‘terrified’ by transphobia: ‘It’s as if we haven’t learned from fascism’
Jamie Lee Curtis wants an end to transphobia. (Getty)
Halloween actor Jamie Lee Curtis has said she’s is terrified by how much hate her trans daughter faces.
Talking to Spain’s Cadena SER Radio, the scream queen spoke openly about the threats her daughter, Ruby, 26, has received since coming out as trans in 2020.
“I have a trans daughter. There are threats against her life just [for] her existence as a human being,” she said.
“There are people that want to annihilate her and people like her.”
Ruby Guest, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Annie Guest at the Universal Pictures world premiere of “Halloween Ends” on October 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/FilmMagic)
Jamie Lee added: “The level of hatred… [It’s] as if we haven’t learned from fascism, [as if] we haven’t learned what the result of that is: The extermination of human beings. That is terrifying.”
The veteran Hollywood actor said she is using her voice to push for change, and encouraged others to do the same.
“Jamie Lee Curtis is scared and you should be too,” she said. “And Jamie Lee Curtis has a voice and she’s trying to use it, and you should too.
“And that’s how we change things. We think about them, we learn about them and then we use our voices to bring attention to them and fight against them.”
.@jamieleecurtis "Tengo una hija trans. Hay amenazas contra su vida sólo por existir como ser humano. Hay gente que quiere aniquilarla, a ella y a gente como a ella" Alto y claro ¿Alguien va a parar este odio y sinrazón, o solo cuando ya sea demasiado tarde? Many thanks Jamie 🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/7X9z0TtTM1
— Carla Antonelli / 🏳️⚧️☂️ (@CarlaAntonelli) October 11, 2022
The US is currently seeing a wave of anti-trans legislative attacks, mounted largely by state Republicans.
Violence against trans people continues to be pervasive – at least 31 trans women have been violently killed in 2022 alone in the US – with transphobic rhetoric in politics and the media fuelling hate.
Jamie Lee explained in the interview that she is still “learning new terminology and words” in order to support Ruby.
“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.
“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.”
In an interview with AARP, Jamie Lee previously commented on becoming a “grateful student” who is learning to speak a “new language”.
“You slow your speech down a little,” she said. “You become a little more mindful about what you’re saying. How you’re saying it,” she said.
During a recent press tour Jamie Lee announced in the best way possible that she had seen her viral “trauma” meme.
