The coronavirus pandemic may've derailed Pride celebrations across the country, but not for Blue Chapman and his family.
Over the weekend, Blue and his loved ones held their own mini-Pride parade in honor of both Pride month and the up-and-coming actor's 9th birthday. During an exclusive chat with E! News, Blue's mom Jennifer Brookings Chapman said it was "important for us to celebrate," even if it meant celebrating on a smaller scale.
"Obviously, we're very big on Pride, I have two kiddos that identify in the LGBTQ community, so it's important for us to celebrate," she told E! News. "And, rightfully so, there weren't public celebrations this year for Pride, but we wanted to do something personally."
As fans of NBC's Council of Dads surely know, Blue portrays JJ, a 7-year-old transgender boy, on the powerful drama series. The young actor is also trans in real life.
Thus, when renting a house by the beach in Calif. for Father's Day weekend, the Chapmans took this getaway as an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
Jennifer continued, "Saturday night was our Pride celebration! So, we read a book [Rainbow Flag: Bright, Bold, and Beautiful by Michelle Millar Fisher] about the history of the Pride flag, so we had a little education around the fire pit. And then, after that, we hopped on—with all of our Pride gear that everybody had brought and worn—the golf cart and our bikes and our scooters."
According to Jennifer, they "just went around the little beach community that we were in" and had their "own little parade."
Although Jennifer noted that "June is our month," she made it clear that her family celebrates the LGBTQ+ community year-round.
"It's a part of who we are as a family, so we always celebrate it. Not even just during June, we kind of display it all the time," she expressed.
With Pride month well under way and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, Jennifer said she's "overly proud" that her son can be a role model for those in the biracial and LGBTQ+ communities.
"He doesn't understand the impact that he is having," Jennifer shared. "He gets that he's on this big TV show and he reflects and identifies with JJ because, you know, he and JJ are very similar. My pride is always through the roof with my kiddos, all three of them, but being biracial and being part of the LGBTQ+ community makes me shine."
Blue's immediate family includes mom Jennifer, dad Jay, sister Ella and brother Kaiden. Yet, it seems the Chapmans have found a second family on the Council of Dads set.
"Our cast and crew and everybody, from top to bottom, is incredible," Jennifer gushed. "It is warm and kind and loving and they love this show and the production and what it brings to the world. And you see it in the work, but you also see it in their actions."
Based on the book, The Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler, Council of Dads was created by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan.
Council of Dads airs tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)