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On February 14, 2025, late Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington's child Draven came out as transgender via an Instagram post. In the Instagram post, Draven mentioned that the day of the post was a day to celebrate love and the true meaning of love regardless of whether it was for oneself, a partner, or family.
Sharing her important update with followers, Draven Sebastian Bennington, who uses she/her pronouns, informed her followers:
"In August of last year, I decided to take the path of happiness and being true to myself. I came out as transgender and started hormone replacement therapy, and it has been the best decision I’ve ever made in my life."
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Draven is one of Chester Bennington's six children wherein he shares twin daughters Lily and Lila and son Tyler with his second wife Talinda Bentley and sons Isaiah and Jamie from his relationship with ex-partner Elka Brand.
Draven is the late Linkin Park vocalist's child with Samantha Bennington, to whom he was married from 1996 to 2005. The young musician gave a special mention to her mother in the Instagram post stating Samantha has loved her unconditionally and that she is blessed to be her child.
Resonating a similar emotion, Samantha expressed her support for her child's decision and wrote a comment under the Instagram post stating:
“I’m so proud of you. I love you with all my heart and soul,” she wrote. “You’re my favorite human on the planet. I just want you happy and healthy forever and always.”
"I just think it's really beautiful"- Draven comments on the impact of father Chester Bennington's music
In July 2017, Chester Bennington was found dead at his residence in Palos Verdes Estates, California wherein the authorities ruled his death as suicide by hanging. The 41-year-old Linking Park vocalist struggled with alcohol and drug addiction throughout his life.
Talking to PEOPLE about the fondest memories with her father and the impact of Chester Bennington's music, Draven mentioned in a July 2023 interview that rock climbing was one of the things she and her brother Tyler would do with Chester. Draven said that the 3 of them would go out rock climbing at a place called Hangar 18 and called it "just one of our favorite things."
Since Draven also works with music alongside some fashion projects, she expressed her wish to match the impact of Chester Bennington's music through her work. Commenting on the same, Draven told the publication:
"Every time I hear somebody's story, telling like how much my dad's music impacted their life, I just think it's really beautiful. I think that's really sweet how something that he was just doing as a passion, what he loved, had that effect on so many people."
She continued:
"I get so many just lovely stories of things like, 'I had this really bad day and I threw on this song from your dad and it completely changed it around.'"
In her public announcement on Instagram, Draven acknowledged that she tried to be someone she wasn't on the inside for a long time but had to choose between being complacent or being happy.
The post amassed a lot of support for the late Chester Bennington's child with netizens commenting that her father would've supported her decision as well.
