Egyptian Actor Hesham Selim on His Transgender Son: I View His Transition as an Act of Courage, Especially in Our Society

Egyptian actor Hesham Selim revealed in a May 3, 2020 interview on Al-Qahera Wal-Nas TV (Egypt) that his daughter Nour is in the process of transitioning from female to male. He said that from the first time he had held Nour and saw she had the body of a boy, he had suspected that this would happen, and he explained that he views his daughter's transition as an act of courage, particularly in a society where such things are difficult. Selim said that Nour's brothers have started treating Nour as a man and that he hopes for Allah to help transgender people and their families.

Hesham Selim: "My daughter Nour has become my son Nour."

Interviewer: "Your 'son' Nour?"

Hesham Selim: "Yes."

Interviewer: "How come?"

Hesham Selim: "These are the deeds of God..."

Interviewer: "No, how did Nour become your son?"

Hesham Selim: "I can't really tell you..."

Interviewer: "Did she change her sex?"

Hesham Selim: "She is in the process of a sex change. I wasn't surprised at all that she wanted to transition, because since she was born, I saw that she had the body of a boy. I saw it when I held her in my arms for the first time. I immediately suspected this. Then one day, and I view this as courage on her part, especially since we live in a society where such things are difficult... One day she came and told me: 'I live in a body that is not mine.'"

[...]

Interviewer: "When she told you this, how did you accept it?"

Hesham Selim: "I said to her 'What do you need from me?' That's it. I am certain God forms us in the womb, as is written [in the Quran]."

Interviewer: "Of course. This is something neither you nor your daughter had anything to do with, but it is courageous of you to say this in public.

[...]

"How do his brothers treat him?"

Hesham Selim: "Completely normal. We all treat him like a man... He is a man. I encourage him to continue his life the way he wants."

Interviewer: "What do you ask from society in terms of accepting him the way he is?"

Hesham Selim: "I cannot ask society to accept or reject him. All I can say is: May Allah help boys and girls who are like that, and may Allah help their families."