The Walking Dead actor Khary Payton shared on social media that his son is transgender last Monday.
Payton – who plays King Ezekiel on the show – posted about this on the same day that the US Supreme Court made a historic decision to protect LGBT+ workers from being fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“This my kid. One of the most happy, well-adjusted individuals I’ve ever known,” Payton said on both Twitter and Instagram. “My son, Karter. Karter with a K because it reminded him of my name. He chose it. You see, he was born female but has always identified as a boy.”
Payton went on to explain that it was his son’s decision to share this information on social media.
“I told him that there would be so many supporters but also a lot of jerks who would be harsh. He said, ‘Yeah, I know about trolls, daddy. I can handle trolls’.
“This is his journey, and I am here for it. I hope you all have the opportunity to feel the unquenchable love that I am feeling right now”, he said.
The father-of-two received many positive replies, including from Star Wars actor Mark Hamill. Hamill replied with “right back at Karter!” and a thumbs-up emoji.
Khary Payton’s wife, Stacy Reed Payton, also shared pictures of the couple’s eldest child on her Instagram account. She said she was “overjoyed” to introduce Karter to the world.
“When he was born we thought he was a girl. We were mistaken. He is a boy. A smart, funny, brave, loving, magnificent boy,” she said.
His mother gave a similar account to his father about how confident Karter is and how excited he was for this news to be shared.
“I am so incredibly proud of him and feel blessed every single day to be his mama,” she said.
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