Charlize Theron Raising Son Jackson as a Girl

Charlize Theron is taking a rare opportunity to open up about her family life in a new interview with the Daily Mail. One of the eye-catching details of the chat with the outlet is Theron’s revelation that her older child, Jackson, 7, is transgender.

According to the actress, Jackson was assigned male at birth but told her when she was three years old that she was a girl according to the Daily Mail.

“Yes, I thought she was a boy, too,” Theron tells the outlet. “Until she looked at me when she was three years old and said: ‘I am not a boy!’”

Rumors and photos of Jackson wearing “skirts and dresses” with longer, braided hair led many to believe that Theron was just raising her son as a girl. But the revelations in the interview show that it was far deeper and accepting than just the “strange” parenting gossip columns would write about.

“So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive,” Theron continues. “They were born who they are and exactly where in the world both of them get to find themselves as they grow up, and who they want to be. And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that.”

Theron adopted Jackson in 2012 and followed with her August, her second daughter, in 2015. She goes on to give credit to her mother for teaching and ensuring that she’d be tolerant and accepting as a person growing up.

“You know, I grew up in a country where people lived with half-truths and lies and whispers and nobody said anything outright, and I was raised very specifically not to be like that,” The actress discussed with the outlet. “I was taught by my mom that you have to speak up; you have to be able to know that, when this life is over, you’ll have lived the truth you’re comfortable with, and that nothing negative can come from that.”

Fox News adds that Theron has been an advocate for LGBTQ rights for many years. The actress announced on The View in 2009 that she wouldn’t get married until everyone in the U.S. had the right to marry.

“I have so many friends who are gays and lesbians who would so badly want to get married, that I wouldn’t be able to sleep with myself,” she told the panel on the show.

Theron likely isn’t looking to get married any time soon. Despite rumors she had been spotted with Brad Pitt, the actress revealed that she’s been single for quite a long time.

“I’ve been single for 10 years, it’s not a long shot. Somebody just needs to grow a pair and step up,” she said during an appearance on Entertainment Tonight promoting Long Shot. “I’m shockingly available.”

You can see Theron in theaters on May 3 in Long Shot alongside Seth Rogen.