Nic Chien, the trans son of renowned theater star Lea Salonga, revealed that he is bisexual.
Photo: Rated Korina/YouTube
In an episode of Rated Korina, Nic shared that he has been attracted to both males and females since grade school.
“I was gender fluid for a while, but I figured that I’m bisexual. I’m okay with saying that out loud. I figured that out in grade 5. I’m attracted to my friends who are girls, but I’m also attracted to guys. I had the ability to label myself,” he said.
He added, “My parents at the time, I don’t blame them for this, they were like ‘Are you sure? I don’t know. You’re very young. You can change your mind. Don’t label yourself right away cause you don’t want to be trapped in with the label,’ which is completely valid. And I kind of agree, like don’t put pressure on yourself with a label.”
The 19-year-old transman also shared his struggles with gender dysphoria during his teenage years. Gender dysphoria is a psychological distress that takes place when a person’s gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth, causing intense discomfort and high levels of mental health struggles.
“I was insecure in a sense that I knew that if someone looked at me, they wouldn’t see what I really wanted to be, or they wouldn’t see a man; they would see a girl,” he opened up.
When it comes to handling negative comments about him, he said, “There are going to be bad comments. If you look at all of them all the time, you’re only going to feel terrible. Read good comments. Try to focus on that instead.”
In November 2025, the young actor openly talked about undergoing chest reconstruction, or top surgery.
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“On a more serious note, it’s done wonders for my gender dysphoria and overall mental health. Not having to wear a binder, be afraid of judgment, and being able to be shirtless has been one of the most gratifying things EVER,” he said in an Instagram post.
Meanwhile, Lea did not hold back in expressing her unwavering support for her son.
“There is this feeling of guilt when you are unable to help your child. It is extremely difficult.. but we’re so happy that he knew what he wanted, and my job as his mom is to try and figure out how can I get these things done,” she explained during a media conference for “Les Misérables: World Tour Spectacular. “I am aware there are folks that will not understand or have a very negative opinion of the decisions we have made for his health and for his own navigation of the world as a trans man. My only thing is I have to do what I need to do to help my child in the best way that I can.”
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