Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

'Kite Runner' author Khaled Hosseini reveals his daughter is transgender

Author Khaled Hosseini pictured here, on September 17, 2018 has said he has 'never been prouder' of his daughter, after she came out as transgender. (Lloyd Bishop/NBCU/Getty Images/CNN)
Author Khaled Hosseini pictured here, on September 17, 2018 has said he has 'never been prouder' of his daughter, after she came out as transgender. (Lloyd Bishop/NBCU/Getty Images/CNN)
Share

Acclaimed writer has said he has "never been prouder" of his daughter, after she came out as transgender.

The Afghan-American novelist posted a black and white picture of his daughter on social media Wednesday, with a heartfelt message about her news.

Hosseini, whose work includes bestselling novels "The Kite Runner," "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and "And the Mountains Echoed," : "Yesterday, my twenty-one year old daughter Haris came out to the world as transgender.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Acknowledging the challenges Haris has faced in coming to terms with her identity, Hosseini continued: "I have known about Haris' journey since last year and I've watched her navigate some very trying personal times. Transitioning is such a complicated undertaking -- emotionally, physically, socially, psychologically -- but Haris has met each challenge with grace, patience, and wisdom.

"As a father, I have never been prouder of her. I am delighted to now have not one but two beautiful daughters. Most of all, I am inspired by Haris' fearlessness, her courage to share with the world her true self. She has taught me and our family so much about bravery, about truth. About what it means to live authentically. I know this process was painful for her, fraught with grief and anxiety. She is sober to the cruelty trans people are subjected to daily. But she is strong and undaunted."

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965, Hosseini arrived in the US with his family as asylum seekers in 1980. He has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, since 2006.

His books have been published in more than 70 countries and sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, according to his website.

Hosseini, whose family is based in California, also shared a black and white image of himself with Haris as a toddler.

In an interview with CNN back in 2013, Hosseini said that becoming a parent had a big impact on his writing.

"There is no question that it has transformed and informed my way of writing," he said.

Explaining why he often writes about children on the cusp of adolescence, he said at the time that he was fascinated by "that age of 12 or so, when the foundations of the world as the child has thus far known it are beginning to crack, and the world is revealing itself to be more nuanced, more complicated, more messy, more troubling (than they imagined)."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

Toronto police say they are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot and killed his brother in an argument at a Scarborough housing complex late Saturday night.

Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.