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| Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair, photographed by Annie Leibovitz |
For anyone who may have been living under a rock, and doesn't watch the news, or know anything about the Kardashians, I'll give a brief rundown of why this is such an important story, and then I'll get into why I didn't post anything about it "in real time."
Caitlyn Jenner was formerly known as Bruce Jenner. Bruce, (in case you don't know) was a gold medal winner, in the men's decathlon in 1976 in Montreal. Bruce was also, for a number of years, married to Kris Jenner, the mother (momager) of the Kardashian clan. In April, Bruce sat through an interview with Diane Sawyer, in which he announced that he was completing a transition into a woman. Throughout the interview, he requested that media sources use the pronoun he, until he debuted "Her."
"She", Caitlyn, was finally revealed to the world, yesterday, and to an overwhelming amount of support. While the majority of my Facebook feed was very supportive, there were a few people, here and there, who were less than supportive, and, occasionally, just mean.
When I first saw her, I was at work, and it was all I could do to not gasp, and say how amazing she looks. Having watched the gradual transition through the show, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and the tabloids at the supermarket, I was actually shocked by the change.
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| Caitlyn Jenner, photographed by Annie Leibovitz |
Bruce Jenner is a name that is known to the majority of the world, for two vastly different reasons... 1.) He was an Olympic gold medalist. 2) He was the dad on Keeping up with the Kardashians.
Caitlyn Jenner is one of the first transgender people who many "average" people will "know." (I don't discount any of the others who have paved the way for Caitlyn...Laverne Cox, Christine Jorgensen, etc.) But, she has been public about the transition throughout it. She also opened up about what life as a trans person is like, as a way of opening up conversation about trans issues.
The biggest thing that Caitlyn's debut did, was start sparking conversations that show just how far we have to go, in accepting all people. For every 10, "You go girl," posts that came across my feed, there was probably 1, "Is anyone else over this whole Bruce Jenner thing?" And, every one of those "Who else is over this?", there were people coming out of the woodwork, in support of Caitlyn, explaining that I never expected.
Caitlyn is important, not because she "gives the gays a new cause," but because she gives a very public face to those dealing with gender dysmorphia, and transitioning. She, whether she intended to or not, has made herself an advocate, for those who don't know how to advocate for themselves. And, she has become a role model for a whole new generation.
Because of Caitlyn, people are going to learn when to use the proper pronouns, and why it's offensive not to. People are going to make mistakes. People are going to learn, through Caitlyn, much as they have through Laverne Cox and other trans people who have made a name for themselves, that they are not stereotypes.
And, the hope, for many people, is that with the very public transition, Caitlyn can help bring some attention to the issues that plague the trans community. Suicide is one of the most prevalent issues, that needs to be addressed. We have on average 41% of our trans community attempting suicide. Trans people who don't kill themselves are also at a much higher risk of being murdered. In 2012, 53% of LGBTQ murders were committed against transgender women...and 73% against non-white people. If Caitlyn's "coming out" (of sorts) can help even just one or two young people choose not to end their lives...If her coming out can teach just one or two people that trans lives matter just as much as the rest of us...then, she will have done what is "expected" of her.
Caitlyn still has a long road of acceptance to go through herself. And, I for one will be supporting her, every step of the way.
So, if I'm such a supporter, then why did I choose not to write immediately after having seen the photographs? Well, for one, I was at work, so I didn't really have time to sit down and write out my thoughts. Second, Caitlyn Jenner is a real person...and with the advent of the internet, it's possible that she could read it...and I wanted to have all my thoughts in order, so that I didn't come off like an ass...(like I did that time that Pandora Boxx read my blog in which I said that she wasn't one of my favorite performers that night, and commented on it.) Along with that, I wanted to make sure that I had the right pronouns, and that I was being sensitive to what name I use when discussing the different parts of Caitlyn's former life.
I will be the first to admit that in spite of the fact that I actually have friends who are trans, that I know through the world of drag, I am pretty trans-ignorant. So, I was also trying to be as respectful as I could to any of my friends who could potentially read this, and be offended. If I have been at all offensive, in any way, PLEASE let me know. I will re-edit and be more sensitive the next time I write anything about trans issues. (Or if you, or anyone you know is trans and would like to help educate me with what is proper and what is offensive, I beg you to let me know...because I don't want to be known as that insensitive fuck who makes things up when he doesn't understand them to begin with.)
But, anyway, I will leave you with a quote from Caitlyn, that I think is important to end with...because, it's things like this, that will help people like me, and the rest of the general public, get educated.
"The uncomfortableness of being me never leaves me all day long. I’m not doing this to be interesting. I’m doing this to live … if I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life. You never dealt with yourself.’ And I don’t want that to happen."
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