These Stars Support Their LGBT Family Members

There are plenty of stars who have spoken out to support gay rights, but for some, the issue hits closer to home. In an interview with Out magazine, Robert De Niro spoke honestly about his father's sexuality, which is touched on in a new HBO documentary about his late dad's life. While he was not closeted, this was, in a way, a public coming out for the artist Robert De Niro Sr., and his son said he wished he would have honored him sooner. Like the Oscar-winning actor, several celebrities, including Adam Levine, Anne Hathaway, and Colin Farrell, have shared personal stories about their gay, lesbian, and transgender family members. Take a look at some of the Hollywood stars who have publicly shared their support for LGBT loved ones.

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In a statement for the Stand Up! Campaign in 2010, Colin Farrell talked about his brother Eamon's high school struggles:

"I can't remember much about the years of physical and emotional abuse my brother Eamon suffered. I was very small. The thing I do remember, though, quite literally, is blood on his school shirt when he came home in the afternoon. . . . I didn't understand at that time the concept of 'difference.' Back then, as now, he was just my big brother."

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In 2010, Anne Hathaway told British GQ why she's no longer Catholic, linking it to her brother Michael:

"Well, the whole family converted to episcopalianism after my elder brother came out. Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother? So I'm . . . nothing."

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Adam Levine told Out about his brother Michael in 2011:

"I can single-handedly dispel any ideas that sexuality is acquired. Trust me: you're born with it. My brother is gay, and we knew when he was 2. We all knew."

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Twenty years after the death of his father, Robert De Niro is honoring his dad in a new HBO documentary. Discussing the project with Out magazine, the actor was asked if his father was conflicted about being gay. De Niro responded:

"Yeah, he probably was, being from that generation, especially from a small town upstate. I was not aware, much, of it. I wish we had spoken about it much more. My mother didn't want to talk about things in general, and you're not interested when you're a certain age. Again, for my kids, I want them to stop and take a moment and realize that you sometimes have to do things now instead of later, because later may be 20 years from now — and that's too late."

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Cher told Oprah in 2011 how she relates to her transgender son, Chaz:

"This is the thing that makes me know how important it is: I like being a woman so much. If I woke up tomorrow and I felt like I feel, and I looked down and I was in a different body? I would be like, 'Get me out of here.'"

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In 2009, Chris Evans told The Advocate about his brother Scott's coming out:

"We spent the whole day together, got to the city, had some beers in my hotel room, got into a really great talk, and he came out. I was so glad that he did. That's got to be a difficult transition, but I come from the most liberal household you have ever heard of. . . . I think my mother was praying for [both of] us to be gay, so at least she got one of us."

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David Arquette tweeted about his transgender sister, Alexis, in 2011:

"I grew up seeing how cruel people could be to someone trying to be true to themselves."

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Cyndi Lauper told Metro Weekly in 2002 that she makes a point to vouch for her sister Elen:

"My sister is a lesbian, and she's one of the most fantastic people I know. It's a family issue. If you can't vouch for people in your own family, who are you going to vouch for?"

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Roseanne Barr wrote about her brother Ben and sister Geraldine on her blog in 2011:

"I didn't choose to be straight any more than my siblings chose to be gay or we chose to be born Jews in Salt Lake City."

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Kevin Smith talked about his brother Donald with Piers Morgan in 2012:

"It's a shame. I know my brother; he's a great guy — goes to church, doesn't screw anybody over — and yet he's still got some religious yahoos and politicos over to the side going, 'Change your ways; you're going to hell!' Stay out of my brother's bedroom, buddy."

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Magic Johnson told TMZ he's proud of his son EJ in 2013:

"Cookie and I love EJ and support him in every way. We're very proud of him."

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In 2013, Chloë Grace Moretz told Seventeen about her gay brothers being mistreated when they were younger:

"I have two gay brothers and two straight brothers, and my gay brothers were treated horrifically until they grew up and understood how to deal with it. I will delete you and I will block you, and you will not be a part of my life if you ever say anything bad about my brothers."

For more on Chloë, go to Seventeen.com and pick up the October issue of Seventeen, on newsstands Sept. 17.