In the interview, Salonga stands proudly behind her child Nic, who is 18 and recently started taking testosterone after coming out as transmasculine at age 14.
According to Nic, both his parents have been "very accepting," and that his mom "just didn't want [his] life to be as hard as it would be." Even though he admits "it was rough," he says "this was the most ideal situation for me," per People.
As studies have shown, "parental support is associated with higher quality of life and is protective against depression in transgender adolescents."
The current presidential administration has made several attacks on trans youth, including an executive order that bans schools that receive federal funding from allowing students to use the name and pronouns that best match their gender identity, bans them from using the locker rooms and bathrooms that best fit their gender identity, and bans them from playing on the most appropriate sports team, and an executive order that defines sex as strictly male or female based on the "immutable biological reality of sex" characteristics at birth.
Another executive order restricts federal funding and support for gender-affirming care for minors and adults under 19.
Salonga said that her career in musical theater, which she calls a "think-on-your-feet" type of art form, helped her adapt to motherhood.
"I've learned how to raise a child who is their own being. I mean, there are obviously expectations. I'm glad that this kid can cook and do his own laundry and doesn't forget to feed the cat!" she said. "But the one thing I've learned is that you have to raise your child the way your child needs to be raised."
"As a parent I want my child to feel safe and strong and ready to conquer the world on their own terms," she added.
"Sometimes I feel alone, but I'm not. It does really help to have people in your corner," Nic said.
Next, Nic is following in his mother's footsteps, and will be playing Jack in a production of
Into the Woods in the Philippines (where the family lives part time) this August. Salonga is currently starring in the Broadway production of
Old Friends, a celebration of Stephen Sondheim's oeuvre, on Broadway.
