'The Walking Dead' Star Khary Payton Proudly Introduces His Trans Son

For those of you that don't know, this is Khary Payton.

He stars in The Walking Dead as Ezekiel, one of the main characters who is a survivor of the outbreak.

Recently, he introduced us to his trans son in an emotional post.

The actor couldn't be happier to express his love for his son, who came out as trans. But firstly, how did we get here?

The transgender community is bigger than ever.

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Merriam-Webster defines “transgender" as “of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth."

Surgeries are now available as part of the transition process.

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Though they are not accessable for everyone, many trans people choose to undergo gender reassignment surgery, which “is performed to transition individuals with gender dysphoria to their desired gender."

Acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community has grown massively over the years.

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In 2020, we are all becoming more accepting of and respectful towards the LGBTQ+ community. We celebrate those who aren’t afraid to love who they love – as we should!

However, there is still a lot of stigma attached to gender nonconformity.

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The impact this stigma has can lead to deep psychological distress. The only way we can combat this in our communities is by being an advocate for respect and acceptance.

There are still folks out there that believe that trans people should not have rights.

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And the view is also perpetuated by our own president who recently overturned a law that now states healthcare professionals are allowed to deny the transgender community medical help because of their gender label.

This is why we need people like Rachel McKinnon.

The Canadian philosophy professor knew she was trans from around the age of thirteen, but "took sixteen more years to actually come to terms with it."

Rachel teaches philosophy and ethics at the College of Charleston...

And has written numerous papers and given lectures on the topic of transgender athletes in sports.

Because her other passion in life is competitive cycling.

In October 2018, Rachel became the first transgender athlete to win a world cycling championship, taking the Masters age 35-44 world title in the sprint competition at the VELO Sports Center in Carson, California.

Rachel bagged her second world title in 2019.

She won her second gold medal at the Masters Track World Championships on October 19th, competing in the female 35-39 age category sprint.

She even set a new world record...

After she made it around the 200m course in just 11.649 seconds.

Her achievements have been monumental for Rachel and other trans activists all over the world.

Taking to Instagram, she wrote: "This jersey, these medals, and this world record mean a whole lot more to me than my first. There were many more barriers this year, a much bigger spotlight, truly incessant hate and people doing everything in their power to have me banned, make me fail, and make me quit." "But I didn't. And I won't."

However, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding Rachel's accomplishments.

But you can't deny her achievements if they are in line with the regulations of the sport, can you?

But thanks to people like Rachel and other trans activists, transgender people can be proud of who they are.

And in this case, so can their parents. Even though the stigma is still prominent in society, parents like Khary Payton are leading the way, showing us that they are loud and proud of their children, regardless of their gender.

In an emotional Instagram post, Payton introduced us to his trans son.

He wrote this: "This my kid. One of the most happy, well-adjusted individuals I’ve ever known. My son, Karter."

He continued, saying this:

"Karter with a K because it reminded him of my name. He chose it. You see, he was born female but has always identified as a boy. He thought it would be cool if I announced it on social media."

He then revealed that he warned his son...

"I told him that there would be so many supporters but also a lot of jerks who would be harsh. He said, 'Yeah, I know about trolls, daddy. I can handle trolls.'"

And he ended it with this heartwarming message.

"Man, there is nothing more beautiful than watching your child feel the joy of exploring what it means to be true to themselves. This is his journey, and I am here for it. I hope you all have the opportunity to feel the unquenchable love that I am feeling right now."

Here's the full post:

We adore everything about it, from the picture to the caption and we couldn't be happier for the family. If you want to read more about the transgender transformation, then keep scrolling to see it happen in a series of photographs...