Alexis Arquette has supportive words for Chaz Bono

Alexis Arquette is in the rare position to know what it’s like to transition to another gender in the spotlight.

That’s why the member of the famous acting clan (her sisters are Patricia and Rosanna, bother is David, sister-in-law is Courtney Cox Arquette) is reaching out to Chaz Bono who announced last week that he is transitioning from female to male.

“Coming out as transgender in America from a celebrity family is a lot easier than it can be for private individuals anywhere else in the world,” she tells Entertainment Tonight. “In fact, if you come out as transgender in certain parts of the world, you may be murdered in the street. Legally, under their laws, you may be murdered.”

Her transition from male to female was the subject of the 2007 documentary, Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother.

“If there’s anything that people can glean from this, and from Chaz’s experience and my own experience, it’s that we don’t have all the answers to this — and in fact no one does; that is an exploration,” concludes Alexis. “It’s essential to us that we have the support of people that love us and of people on the street who don’t even know us. You know, a smile is so much better than pointing at somebody and whispering into your friend’s ear.”