The day is Friday, April 24, and the long-awaited Diane Sawyer 20/20 special, "Bruce Jenner: The Interview," is watched by a whopping 16.9 million people in its original airing. This was no ordinary interview: American Olympic hero Bruce Jenner finally confirmed the rumors that he was in the process of transitioning (no "Vampire Diaries" fans, Bruce was not becoming a vampire, but a woman). With this announcement, Jenner received worldwide support, from the everyday individual to celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Sam Smith, and many, many more. Fast forward a little over a month.
“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.” -Caitlyn Jenner
The day is Monday, June 1, and around twelve hours after Kim Kardashian announced that she is expecting her second child with husband Kanye West, Caitlyn Jenner broke the Internet by introducing herself to the world.
After a lifetime of hiding such a large secret, Caitlyn finally has broken her silence, and has shown the world who she truly is. Rather than living life miserably, Jenner has decided to embrace the woman she calls "Her." The Guardian states that, "According to the Vanity Fair profile, Jenner underwent facial feminisation surgery in March and had started wearing her hair long and her nails painted. In December 2013, the website TMZ reported that Jenner had had a consultation for a tracheal shave to reduce her Adam’s apple. (Jenner told Vanity Fair that she had pleaded with TMZ not to publish the story and had considered suicide because of it.)" As the often laid back patriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner empire, Jenner acknowledges to Diane Sawyer that after many seasons of filming, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," she was the one with the real story.
“I’m not doing this to be interesting. I’m doing this to live." -Caitlyn Jenner
After Caitlyn's Vanity Fair cover was released, she joined social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and officially became the first person to reach one million followers in the shortest period of time, beating out @POTUS, or President Barack Obama.
With the announcement of her new life, Jenner is supported by countless celebrities and everyday individuals, but there has also been controversy. While it was announced that Caitlyn will be receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPYs, some people feel that there are individuals are more deserving of the honor. In addition, there is a petition signed by almost 15,000 supporters to revoke Jenner's Olympic awards since she competed as a man. Now, regarding, the common trend online about questioning why Jenner spelled her name with a C and not a K, this (in my opinion) was not a burn to the Kardashian family, but instead, a way to separate herself from the shadow she once fell into.
The definition of a courageous person is not only someone who goes out and risks their life to save others, but also the student who has a fear of public speaking yet delivers a valedictorian speech, a child who goes against the school bully by acting with kindness to the victim, and people like Caitlyn Jenner, who lived 65 years of her life hiding who she really is, and was courageous enough to finally embrace "herself."
I also believe that Jenner can do amazing things with her new platform. As many news outlets have declared Caitlyn as the most famous transgender person, her life struggle and newfound passion for life can inspire others who are dealing with the inner battles of feeling out of place in their own body. Where Jenner previously gave motivational speeches about being dyslexic and becoming an Olympic champion, she can now use that, along with the experiences she faced during her very public transition and new life, to motivate, move, and teach the world about her story and transgender lifestyle. An example of taking advantage of her widespread exposure is through the new documentary series, "I Am Cait," that will premiere on July 26, and will give viewers an inside look on Caitlyn's new life.
Jenner has opened so many doors for transgender men and women. To me, she was, is, and always will be an American hero.
