Trans actress Airyn De Niro says her famous dad’s “affirming” support for her “should be the standard” for all parents of trans kids.

The 30-year-old daughter of actors Robert De Niro and Toukie Smith came out publicly as trans earlier this year in an interview with Them after The Daily Mail and other tabloids published photos of her with headlines commenting on her “shock transformation.” A day after Them published its profile of Airyn, her dad released a statement expressing unwavering support for his daughter.

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Trans actress Airyn De Niro thanks famous dad for support: “Could not have asked for better parents”

“I don’t know what the big deal is,” the Good Fellas star’s statement read. “I love all my children.”

In a more recent interview with Them, Airyn opened up about the ways her father has continued to support her.

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“I told him I wanted to do some touch-ups here and there, just so I can feel more confident in myself,” she recalled. “The way he spoke to me about it was very affirming in a way, because he was saying things like, ‘You’re a good-looking kid. You don’t need to do anything to change yourself.’ And he was talking about how happy he was for me, because I have an amazing boyfriend who he’s met, and [he said], ‘You have somebody who loves you for you, and you don’t need to change yourself for anybody.’”

Airyn told Them that she explained her desire to get some work done to De Niro from the perspective of a trans woman who transitioned later in life than some.

“[I shared] that’s why I’m more interested in doing some procedures to make me feel at home in my body,” she said. “He understood that perspective, and he was accepting. He just really wants me to be careful and know where I’m going. So, he says, like, I don’t need it. But he supports me if I want to do that, which is the best thing any trans kid could ask for from their parent.”

“At his ripe old age, he’s not even setting a high bar. It’s just like, that should be the standard,” Airyn added.

She also recalled a therapy session with her dad in which she said De Niro explained how he was feeling about her transition to their therapist. “He said, ‘There’s no other thing to do than accept your kid for who they are and where they decide to go in life.’ He’s very good at being a dad.”

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