Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and their siblings aren’t the only ones grappling with their father’s decision to transition Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn Jenner. As ABC Family’s new Ryan Seacrest-produced series, Becoming Us, shows, 17-year-old Ben Lehwald finds himself trying to answer many of the same questions the Kardashians did while his parents divorce and his dad, Charlie, transitions to Carly.
“Right before he came out [as a transgender woman], he painted his nails a lot and would shave his legs,” Lehwald told The Chicago Tribune in an April 2015 interview. “I was kind of like, ‘Hmmm. This is interesting.'”
Similar to other families with a trans member, Lehwald debated what to call his dad after his transition. “It’s confusing for me because I want to say, ‘Dad,’ but I don’t want to say, ‘Dad,’ because I want to respect her and not hurt her feelings,” Lehwald said. “We just came to the conclusion to call her Carly.”
Interestingly, Becoming Us will also chronicle the journey of Lehwald’s former girlfriend, Danielle Molnar, whose own father is also transitioning. The couple realized their commonality after meeting through mutual friends. “I was like, ‘People make fun of me for my dad, because my dad is transgender,'” Molnar told The Chicago Tribune. “[Ben’s] like, ‘No way.’ It’s kind of like an unbelievable thing.”
Watch a preview for Becoming Us above now before it airs Monday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC Family.
