Jennifer Lopez is, yet again, showing her support of LGBTQ youth for all the world to see.
Jennifer Lopez recently released a trailer for a new short film titled Draw With Me. The film, which Lopez promoted on her Instagram account, spotlights the singer and actress’s stance on acceptance of self-acceptance. Lopez specifically talked about accepting LGBTQ youth. To do this, Lopez introduced the world to their nibling, a non-binary term for a family member, Brendon Scholl. Scholl is the 19-year-old child of Jennifer’s sister, Leslie Lopez.
The video spotlights Brendon’s story by hearing it from Brendon’s own lips. The teenager shares their experiences of realizing their sexual identity and sharing the fact with their family.
“It was in eighth grade when I finally felt comfortable with saying that I’m trans,” Brendon explains in the Instagram clip promoting the film. Brendon then shares that they decided to come out to his family after their mother and father, Rob Scholl, found the binder they used to flatten their breasts.
“And at that point, I was just tired of lying to them, so I just told them the truth,” Brendon pointed out.
The film doesn’t just give Brendon’s perspective, however, as Leslie Lopez shares her side of the family’s story as well. As Out reports, this includes the “darkest point” of the family’s lives when Bredon’s parents couldn’t understand their child’s perspective.
“I said, ‘Don’t you want to be a girl?’” Brendon’s mother admits in the trailer, talking about the moment Brendon’s chest binder was discovered. “And they kinda looked at me and said, ‘I’m not a girl.’”
Though now, Leslie Lopez realizes that trans and non-binary youth should be supported and loved.
“You’re talking about your identity as a person,” Leslie Lopez states simply and matter-of-factly. “Sexual preference is who you go to bed with, and your identity is who you go to bed as.”
“Draw With Me is a short film about a transgender youth and their journey of coming out to their family and also engaging in their art to help them cope with the feelings they were having during this time,” Lopez explained on Instagram.
“The film is important and timely in its story and message and can have a huge impact on those of us who watch and experience what Brendon and their family is going through in this time of acceptance and admission,” Lopez added.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWqPQlZlD8J/?utm_source=ig_embed
This isn’t the first time that Lopez has supported her nibling. As LGBTQNation points out, Lopez publicly supported Brendon in a 2017 Instagram post. At the time, the singer noted that Brendon was “strong and smart and loving and obviously a leader.”
If you want to check out Draw With Me, the film is on the way. Written and directed by Constantine Venetopoulos, Draw With Me will be released as a full-length documentary for festivals and VOD. Though, no release date has yet been announced.
Source: Out Magazine, LGBTQ Nation
