Khaled Hosseini, an acclaimed Afghan-American novelist, announced on social media that his daughter, Haris, has come out as transgender. The author of bestsellers "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" took to his Twitter and Instagram accounts on Wednesday to make the announcement.
In a heartfelt post containing two pictures of Haris -- one after her transition and another a throwback photo from her childhood -- Hosseini praised her for meeting the challenge of transitioning with "grace, patience, and wisdom" and said he has "never been prouder of her."
He wrote, "Yesterday, my twenty-one-year-old daughter Haris came out to the world as transgender. I have known about Haris’ journey since last year and I’ve watched her navigate some very trying personal times.”
The 57-year-old celebrated writer added that as a father, he is "delighted to now have not one but two beautiful daughters.” Hosseini is father to Haris and Farah - his second daughter, whom he had with his wife Roya Hosseini.
He further wrote, “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.”
Hosseini concluded the post with a promise to support her in her journey as a family. “I will be by her side every step of the way, as will our family. We stand behind her. It’s a privilege to watch her enter the world as the beautiful, wise, and brilliant woman that she is. May God bless her.”
Also watch: The Footnote | Revisiting India's first Pride Parade with Pawan Dhall
His followers took to the comments to praise the family for being accepting and embracing Haris’ journey. “She’s so lucky to have such a wonderful father,” one person wrote.