Jaya Kelly – R. Kelly’s Daughter Was Scared of Coming Out as Transgender

R. Kelly and Andrea Lee’s middle child struggled with their gender identity and was terrified to come out as a trans man, but risked it all in a video at 14.

Singer/ songwriter R. Kelly’s fall from grace has cast a shadow over the music industry and his family. His middle child with ex-wife Andrea Lee has been working through their struggle with their gender identity and overcoming their fear.

After years of fearing to own their truth, Jaya Kelly is walking proud and sharing their journey out of uncertainty and confusion and into a new life.

R. Kelly at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images

Jaya Kelly is the middle child of R&B star R. Kelly and choreographer and dancer Andrea Lee and was born in 2000. Jaya’s older sister is Joann, born in 1998, and her brother Robert Jr., born in 2002.

When they were 14, Jaya came out on social media, telling fans and friends as male. That was a difficult step for Jaya, who now identifies as Jay, and shortly after the revelation, they underwent treatment at a psychiatric facility for depression.

Above all, Jay wants to grow as a musician, evolve, and be judged for their music’s quality, not their gender identity.

The journey to assuming their gender identity is never easy and is particularly difficult for the children of celebrities like E.J. Johnson, Zaya Wade, and Izaak Adu-Watt.

Drea Kelly and Jaya Kelly at the “Growing Up Hip Hop” Atlanta premiere in 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: Getty Images

‘I Am a Boy’

In their coming out video, Jay, who creates music under the name Jaah Baby, revealed that they liked girls and believed they are masculine in nature, a realization that they came to at the age of 7. They said:

“I believe I am a boy and want surgery and the medication to help me be who I was supposed to be.”

Unlike thousands of young people who are transgender, Jay’s announcement was received with love and acceptance by his mother and his siblings, who have been unconditionally supportive.

R. Kelly Supports Him Regardless of His Gender or Sexual Orientation

Jay’s father, R. Kelly, had refused to comment on their transgender announcement when questioned in an interview calling the questions “dumb,” but the controversial R&B artist did remark:

“You save money so your kids can go to college – no matter what they are or who they are. They’re your kids; you gotta support them.”

Some read the singer’s response as an attempt at denial, while others believe he has accepted Jay for who and what they are. R. Kelly’s relationship with all his children has been strained since his divorce from Andrea Lee in 2009 and his arrest for sexual misconduct.

After Coming Out, Jaya Felt Scared

But the step to come out wasn’t easy for Jay, and they admitted that they feared the reaction they would face. Jay would later confess:

“When I posted that video, I was so scared. When I was younger, I always felt like I had to make a choice. I knew that I was a girl who liked other girls. But because of what I was taught, I felt like the only way you could like another girl is if you were a boy.”

Jay now refuses a label and is confident they are content with themselves and their choice. Above all, Jay wants to grow as a musician, evolve, and be judged for their music’s quality, not their gender identity.

The young musician has revealed that when they are inspired, the music flows, and they can quickly write a song in a few minutes and be ready to record the same day — at other times, writing music is more challenging. Whatever Jay’s future holds, the music is a certainty.

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