A Look At The Inspirational Self-Acceptance Journey Of Sister Wives' Leon Brown
Leon Brown, child of Kody Brown and Meri Brown, has had a long, inspiring journey towards self-acceptance. After they initially came out as gay on an episode of "Sister Wives" in 2017, they later came out as trans five years later via Instagram, changing their name and pronouns to better suit their identity. While they've admitted that they're still trying to figure out their gender, they seem a lot happier now that they can live their life authentically.
As of the time of this writing, they have been publicly out as trans for about one year. This is no easy feat for any queer child of an ultra-conservative family, much less one so high-profile and public-facing as the Browns. Still, Leon has continued to be inspiring for trans people everywhere, updating their Instagram with photos of them enjoying their life while out and proud. "Being trans is a gift," one caption reads, "one I love very much."
Leon Brown's coming out journey
Leon Brown has been out as queer in some capacity since 2017, though the nature of their identity has changed over the years. They have various posts on Instagram celebrating Pride Month, where they refer to themself as gay, before eventually coming out as queer and trans in 2022. "I remember the first time that I knew I wasn't a girl," the post's caption read. "I was pretty young & unfortunately I grew up in a context that was incredibly gendered & restrictive, so I continued to be socialized as a girl & later a woman. And here's the thing, I'm finally ready to share my favorite self with the world. And that self is incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic."
Their partner, Audrey Kriss, has been with them every step of the way. The two got engaged in 2019 and tied the knot in 2022, making them one of the few "Sister Wives" couples who are still happily together. According to the U.S. Sun, which obtained their marriage license, Brown and Kriss had a small ceremony at a house in Colorado. Kriss also identifies as trans and uses they/them pronouns, just like their partner.
How has their family reacted?
While Leon Brown's journey has been an incredibly rewarding experience for them, it hasn't come without its pitfalls. A source told the U.S. Sun that the relationship between Leon and their father, Kody Brown, is virtually nonexistent. "He's actually disgusted by [Leon's transition]," the source explained. "Kody is telling close friends, 'This is a new person. I don't know who this person is, but this is not the little girl that I raised.'" With that in mind, it's not difficult to imagine why Leon might not want anything to do with their father.
Gwendlyn Brown, who also doesn't have a good relationship with Kody, confirmed this in a 2023 YouTube video. When asked by a viewer why Kody called Leon an outsider in the Brown family, she said, "Leon has been, since childhood, kind of the odd one out in the family. [...] With Leon being transgender [...] and being in a family that predominantly practices a Mormon fundamentalist faith — Mormonism hasn't traditionally been kind to queer people, especially with a family that's quite a bit conservative [...] they've just been separating themself from the situation." Gwendlyn seemed understanding and supportive of this decision. Thankfully, their mother, Meri Brown, has also remained supportive. She proudly posted a cute selfie to Instagram with her child in July 2023, captioned: "Best part of today. That is all."