All About Hunter Schafer's Parents, Katy and Mac Schafer

Hunter Schafer is perhaps best known for her starring role as Jules on HBO Euphoriabut in the eyes of his parents, he is a star for much longer.

Raised by her mother and father, Katy and Dr. Mac Schafer, Hunter grew up in Raleigh, NC where her parents worked for the Presbyterian Church.

In 2016, before Hunter pursued acting and modeling professionally, Katy and Mac made headlines for supporting Hunter as a plaintiff in the ACLU’s lawsuit against HB2, an anti-transgender bill that aimed to bar transgender people from same-sex toilets and other public spaces. According to the ACLU, it also “prohibited local municipalities from extending nondiscrimination protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”

The Schafers’ support of the LGBTQ+ community surprised people and made headlines, given their Christian devotion. As for Mac, he was clear that his faith motivates him to pursue advocacy, especially given what he’s learned as a parent of a transgender child.

At Alex Cooper’s Call her dad podcast, Hunter admitted that he sometimes envied friends whose parents worked in the entertainment industry.

“My parents are out of this world and sometimes I’m really jealous of my peers in this industry who have, like, a family in it because – I mean, there are pros and cons, for a lot of reasons I’m just really thankful that my family is in this separate world – but part of the guidelines, I think that’s it [my parents] were worried. … They just didn’t want me to screw myself over it,” she explained.

From raising four children to watching their daughter on TV, here’s everything you need to know about Hunter Schafer’s parents, Katy and Mac Schafer.

They have four children, including Hunter

Hunter Schafer and sisters at the HBO premiere of “Euphoria” at Arclight Pacific Theatres’ Cinerama Dome on June 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

FilmMagic/FilmMagic

Katy and Mac have four children whom they raised in their home in Raleigh. Hunter is the oldest, followed by two sisters – Hannah and Tory – as well as a younger brother.

Despite the magnitude of Hunter’s fame, her siblings mostly keep their lives out of the spotlight.

Hunter’s parents work for a Presbyterian church

Hunter Schafer poses with his parents Katy and Mac on the front porch of their home in Raleigh, NC, Friday, May 13, 2016. A 17-year-old transgender boy is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against North Carolina’s recently passed House Bill 2, which rolled back LGBT protections established by the city of Charlotte.

AP Photo/Allen G. Breed

Hunter’s father is a minister who served in the Presbyterian Church (USA) for more than 30 years. He also served in churches and communities in New Jersey, where Hunter was born, and Arizona.

Mac holds a master’s degree in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as a doctorate in ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Like her husband, Katy also works in the ministry of the Presbyterian faith. She works at a church separate from her husband and serves as director of children’s and family ministries.

Hunter’s dad says his faith motivates him to support transgender rights

Raleigh, USA. On September 16, 2015, an art student challenges HB2, speaks to reporters with Hunter by his side outside the Federal Courthouse in Winston Salem. August 1, 2016 Mac Schafer, father of Hunter Schafer, the transgender NC School of Arts student challenging HB2, speaks to reporters with Hunter by his side outside the federal courthouse in Winston Salem, NC, Monday, August 1, 2016. Hunter is the prosecutor in of the HB2 lawsuit, and her father is the pastor of Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC

Anne Blythe/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS/Alamy Live News

Today, Mac is a pastor in Raleigh. In an op-ed for PEOPLE, Mac said his faith called him to support his daughter and the LGBTQ+ community. “Some people have raised concerns about whether the Equality Act interferes with people’s religious freedom. But as committed people of faith, Katy and I strongly disagree with these concerns,” he wrote.

Mac continued, “We fully believe that LGBTQ people are beautifully and wonderfully made by God and are an essential part of the human community.”

Hunter’s parents saw Euphoria

Eddy Chen/HBO

In a 2024 interview with Alex Cooper, podcast host Call her dadSchafer explained that her parents attended Euphoria premiere.

While Schafer seems glad to have their support, she was also concerned that her parents, as well as their community, would see her in graphic scenes. She told Cooper that she described the show to her parents as “risky.”

Hunter’s parents continue to fight against LGBTQ+ discrimination in North Carolina

Hunter Schafer shows his parents Mac and Katy some of his artwork at their home in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, May 13, 2016. A 17-year-old transgender person, who is identified as a boy on her birth certificate, is the plaintiff in a discrimination lawsuit against of the state.

AP Photo/Allen G. Breed

Following the publication of Mac’s PEOPLE op-ed, as well as Hunter’s rise to fame Euphoriahe and Katy participated in the Campaign for Southern Equality.

In a campaign video, Mac reflected on his support for Hunter during the HB2 case, saying, “When we don’t understand things … or people, or lives, I think the first attitude is always the attitude of ‘okay, let me listen, let me learn and to grow.’ Unfortunately, HB2 pressed fear first.”

As for the law, Katy also described how it affected their family. “It went against everything we were doing to support Hunter to thrive as his best self. Everything that came out of that law nullified that,” she said.

The video not only focuses on their famous daughter’s situation, but also shows that they have not let their religion be a barrier to equality. Katy explains: “I hope one day soon [will] look at [a ‘No Hate in My State’ sign] and say, ‘Thank heavens this is over.’ ”

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Source: HIS Education