14 DAY TRIAL // We like to think that we live in a pretty forward-thinking society, but it's often that we find we are stuck in medieval if not ancient mentality, especially when it comes to social taboos. Some choose to avoid those taboos and live their whole lives in secrecy, while others attack them head on. Jaya Kelly is one of those people.
Jaya Kelly is singer R. Kelly's youngest daughter and she has just made an announcement saying that she chooses to live the rest of her life as a boy. She only recently announced that she was making the transition from female to male and that she enjoyed the full support of her mother.
13-year-old Jaya, who now goes by the name of Jay, came out publicly on Instagram and says that she has always known she was meant to be a boy, since she was “6 or 7.” Jaya also said that, as of 3 months ago, her father was unaware of her new identity but that her mother took kindly to her announcement and decision.
“[My mom] was like, ‘Baby, you know I love you if you were bi, gay, [lesbian], you name it and I would still love you so much,” Jaya wrote on her Ask.fm page. She added that “She was very proud of me, I was like, ‘Thank you mum for accepting the fact that I’m a transgender.’”
It looks like the rest of the family also welcomed this change, as Jaya later said that “And same with my sister, she told me that she was proud of me, and respects me by calling me handsome and calling me her little brother now, and I love her for that, so you know it was great for me.”
Fortunately for Jaya, or should we say Jay, his family has shown him a lot of support, something which should make the transition infinitely easier since it offers a haven of protection and understanding, so necessary for such a delicate time in a person's life.
Jay also addressed the issue of his future with disarming candor, something which not many people choose to do. He said that he still has female organs but does wear a binder on his chest. In time, he will undergo surgery and testosterone treatment so that he be that much closer to being a man and thus comfortable in his own skin.
So far, R. Kelly has not spoken officially of the issue, but people are hoping that his attitude will mirror the love and understanding that the rest of the family has exhibited here. If anything, Jay's case can be taken as a clear example that revealing the issue in an honest and straightforward manner can have good consequences and avoid other problems down the road.