‘Sister Wives’ star Leon Brown comes out as trans, father Kody slammed for 'not supporting’ child
Leon Brown, the child of 'Sister Wives' starlets Kody and Meri Brown, has come out as transgender. However, Kody Brown is being chastised by fans for supposedly failing to recognize or acknowledge Leon's transition.
Meanwhile, the 'Sister Wives' star, previously known as Mariah, has received tremendous support online after stating that their name is now Leon or Leo and their pronouns are they/them. In an encouraging Instagram post published early Tuesday morning, Leon publicly declared themselves to be "incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic." Meri, Leon's mother, "liked" the post almost instantly. The alleged lack of acceptance from father Kody, on the other hand, did not go unnoticed by followers online. Fans slammed the father of eighteen for failing to recognize his child's coming out.
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Leon announced the news on Tuesday, June 28, on Instagram. Leon smiled while standing in a doorway wearing shorts and a shirt in an intimate and candid Instagram image. “Someone recently told me that I didn’t have to have all of my s–t figured out in order for me to share myself with the world. So here’s me, definitely not having almost any of my s–t figured out, to let you know that I am trans,” the caption read. “My name is Leon or Leo (i love both) and my pronouns are they/them.” The TLC personality then went on to describe their process of discovering their identity, including how long they've known who they are. Leon mentioned that they were quite young at the time and had grown up in a very gendered and constrained environment. As a result, they were socialized as a girl and then as a woman. They're now ready to show the world their best self, who is "incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic."
Being gay and trans were described as "favorite parts of myself" by the Utah native. However, they confessed that there are so many qualities about themselves that they are growing to appreciate as they "continually evolve" to be the best, true version of themselves. Leon closed the piece by establishing critical boundaries. “If you choose to not use my correct name or pronouns, then you do not need to speak to or about me,” they added. “My name is Leo or Leon, and my pronouns are they/them. Please only refer to me in that way.”
Kody has not yet responded to the announcement, and the two are not presently following each other on social media. Meri, on the other hand, reposted Leon's post on her Instagram Story on Tuesday. She wrote at the time, "You are my sunshine."
"It's heartwarming to know that Meri is supportive," one fan said. "God knows Kody likely isn't. Leon deserves everyone in their corner."
"I love that Meri already liked their post," someone else said. "Meri has come such a long way in accepting her child, and Leo has overcome so much to accept themselves."
While there was praise for Meri, there was criticism for Kody. "Am I the only one wondering how still tolerant Kody and Robyn will be about this?" someone wondered. "I remember that after the coming out of (then) Mariah, Kody said that he himself had even more issues with it than Meri."
"I often wonder how Kody really feels knowing his history, background, upbringing, and constant need to prove he is a man." said another. However, comments on the post have been limited at the moment.
During an episode of 'Sister Wives' in 2017, Kody and Meri's only child came out as lesbian to their polygamous family. Leon and Audrey Kriss have been engaged since January 2019, after the program manager proposed at the Women's March in Washington, DC. Leon offered some deep insights about their personal life and mentioned the support they received from their fiancée during a March 2020 episode of the TLC series. "In my teens, I felt very devoted to the church that I was raised in,” they revealed.“I wanted to live in polygamy. I think it was a way to protect myself from, like, coming out to myself, really.”
"Religious institutions are spaces where there’s rules and if you are not following these rules or guidelines you can feel pretty marginalized and I did feel that way with my church," Leon added. "But with my family, I found so much comfort and they love me anyway. They love me and they love Audrey, and they love our love.”
Kriss, on their part, revealed their gender identity in December 2021. “I just wanted to let you know that I am transgender, and my pronouns are they/them. I’m still going by Audrey,” they said on Instagram at the time. “I don’t want to hide myself from the world anymore. I am so incredibly excited! I am also scared. I am scared of the hate I’ll receive, the things people I care about will say about me, and violence. As a white, masculine presenting person comes a lot of privilege, and I am still scared.”
