Jennifer Lopez and her nibling, Brendon Scholl
Jennifer Lopez took to Instagram over the weekend to offer us all a little education in transgender vocabulary and to promote her trans family member’s new short film.
“Brendon is my nibling and this is their story,” JLo said in an Instagram post of Draw With Me, “a short film about accepting change and challenges with love knowing when we do everything is possible.”
“Nibling,” for those of you who (like me) didn’t know, is the gender-neutral term for the child of one’s sibling — in other words, the gender-neutral term to replace niece or nephew. And JLo has a nibling, 19-year-old Brendon Scholl, child of her sister, Leslie Lopez.
“The film is important and timely in its story and message, and can have a huge impact on those of us who watch and experience what Brendon and their family is going through in this time of acceptance and admission,” the actress/singer said in a video message. “It’s a story that is very close to my heart, because it was a family affair. It’s about accepting change and challenges with love, and knowing when we do everything is possible.”
In Draw With Me, Brendon, who uses “they” and “them” pronouns, tells their own story of coming out as transgender, to themselves and to their family, and the family’s journey to acceptance, including Brendon’s own attempted suicide while struggling to deal with their family’s initial reaction to their coming out.
Lopez, who included to the first five minutes of Draw With Me on her Instagram, encouraged fans to “Stay tuned for the full documentary at film festivals worldwide and coming soon” on Video On Demand.
