Chances are, you do not need me to brief you on Caitlyn Jenner and the media whirlwind around her. Since her “coming out” cover of Vanity Fair launched last week, Jenner has been the leading topic on every news outlet and media platform. And, as we all know, when we bring the media attention, we bring the backlash.
Exceptionally so for Jenner, the backlash seems to be without precedent. There is little to no logic behind the hate (as there rarely ever is).
This article is not to diminish those who are strong in their beliefs. Each and every one of us sees the world in a different way, which is part of the beauty of the human race. However, this diversity finds conflict when opinions are stubborn, ignoring change, and most drastically, ignoring fact. You are entitled to live YOUR life in the way YOU so choose, as long as that path does not wrongfully harm others along the way. That is a right you as a human being hold, and no one should be able to that take away from you. So, what would ever give you the right to do so to someone else? Someone who is not maliciously attacking you or anyone else, whose actions only affect his or herself?
I am not usually one to put myself out there and tell others they are wrong. I believe in the significance of personal opinions, as long as they are rightfully supported. But I am writing this today to say that the negative reactions to Caitlyn Jenner’s public transition from male to female have been anything but rational.
First, however, I will agree with you: Yeah, Jenner did undergo a public transition for the publicity. Does that make her transition a publicity stunt? Absolutely not. She did not change her gender for media attention. I mean, seriously, who suggests that? Jenner has faced the cameras for decades. She has been one of the last people to need, or even seem to want, more cameras around her.
As she has said herself, Jenner has decided to capitalize on the fact that she has cameras on her 24/7 and use her life as a platform for the transgender community—one that is both misrepresented and underrepresented in today’s media. Besides Laverne Cox, what other transgender men or women are you regularly seeing in mainstream media? The list is brief. So, yes, in a way, Jenner’s transition was for the media attention, but responsibly so and much differently than many are accusing.
And yet again, yes, you are right: Her transition is an inaccurate depiction of the experiences that all other trans men and women endure. How is that surprising or at all a problem? Why would we expect her life to be representative of anyone’s but her own? We do not look to Oprah or Obama to represent the life of all black people. We do not expect Emma Watson to speak for all feminists. We do not place this same burden on any other media figure, so why are we doing so with Jenner? She does not need to accurately represent every transgender man and woman’s life; nobody could do that. All that is important is that she is drawing the conversation towards the transgender community—a step that is key in making any lasting change. The real issue is not how she is garnering this attention, but rather how mainstream media has not allowed many others to stand alongside her and do so, too.
Which brings us to our next matter: Yes, Caitlyn Jenner is brave. She is brave for a list of reasons that I do not think need to be listed. There is no need to argue every individual point. She is brave in the way that our soldiers and policemen are brave, the way that patients fighting terminal illnesses are brave, the way that you are brave for admitting to your crush how you feel or speaking your mind in situations where it may be easiest not to. She is brave in the way that she is a human being, experiencing human experiences that are quite terrifying—all with a smile. Courage is not a competition.
Now, should she be winning an award for it? Who is to say yes or no? Who is to deny that she embodies bravery? I am sure thousands of others deserve ESPN's Arthur Ashe Courage Award, which she is set to receive. Kind of like how Beyoncé had the best album of all time, but hey, she didn’t need an award to back that up. Jenner’s award is a symbol, not a definition. It does not mean that she is the bravest human in the world and that everyone now needs to see her as so. Giving Jenner the award is a way of saying, "Hey, you are doing something incredible that is changing the lives of a lot of people, so thanks." it is not meant to sideline or challenge any other’s actions. Simple as that.
Lastly, Caitlyn Jenner is a woman. Calling her so will not kill you or even bruise you, so please show some respect. After all, transgenderism is a fact; denying it exists is admitting that you are not well-read. Being a man or a woman is so much more than just what is hiding below your belt line. Your gender is composed of all sorts of factors, including your gender expression, gender identity and biological sex. Each of those terms are complicated enough on their own. If any one small component of these larger components falters ever so slightly from what we consider to be characteristic of a “normal” cisgender female or male, then gender and sex are no longer black and white. We know that our brains and our bodies develop in highly complicated processes that allow for us to veer off of the “normal” track causing a number of changes.
Long story short, you are born with your gender, but in a way more complicated than what is physically visible. It is something running through our brains and bodies, like any other characteristic we may have. And, most importantly, gender does not dictate your sexuality, so do not even try pitching "confusion with sexuality" as a possible explanation for what Jenner is going through. We do not tell people whose bodies developed to predispose them to cancer or depression that they are insane and treat them like they are wrong. We do not blame them for what they are struggling with. How can we do the same to those who are struggling with gender identity? Here is the simple answer: we cannot.
If Caitlyn Jenner and her public transition bothers you, then check yourself. Ask yourself where those opinions are surfacing from and what is supporting them. More likely than not, there is little foundation to the hate. The only positive value of all of the backlash surfacing from her transition is that is has made it that more obvious how important it is to have more transgender men and women as regular players in our media and our culture so that experiences such as Caitlyn’s are not so harshly met.
The greater takeaway is this: Let's stick up for people, because people are people are people. If someone is not putting another's life in danger, then she is just as in the right as you are with what you go about doing day-to-day. There's no need to interrogate one another's passive life choices. See what I'm getting at?
