Lea Salonga On Raising a Trans Son: 'I Want My Child to Feel Safe'

In an interview with People, Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, currently performing on Broadway in the Sondheim revue Old Friends, opened up about supporting her 18-year-old son, Nic Chien. “The one thing I’ve learned is that you have to raise your child the way your child needs to be raised,” she said.

Nic, who was assigned female at birth, realized he was transmasculine at 14. “I’m still figuring it out,” he told People for their April 14 issue. “It took a while.” But through it all, he has had the unwavering support of his mother. “As a parent, I want to set my child up for success,” Salonga said. “I want my child to feel safe and strong and ready to conquer the world on their own terms.”

This August, mother and son will share the stage in a Philippine production of Into the Woods, with Salonga as the Witch and Nic as Jack. Having made his professional musical theater debut as Alice in Matilda with Atlantis Productions, Nic is eager to step into more male roles. “I’m looking forward to playing boy characters,” he said.

The themes of the Into the Woods resonate deeply with Nic's journey. “Sometimes I feel alone, but I’m not,” he said.