This day and age is about equality in all aspects of life. We see this through the constant discussions of the gender wage gap, the rise of feminism, and the establishment of America’s first black president. However, a topic that hasn’t been thoroughly discussed until this decade but has become increasingly present in the media has been the LGBTQ community.

This year, the United States has made its most progressive strides yet by legalizing same-sex marriage. Although this is a positive step towards equality, our nation still holds stigmas and misconceptions that unknowingly restrict the community. Our stereotypical views of masculinity and femininity, among other personal prejudices, negatively affect these people’s identity and self-esteem. When we become more aware of these attitudes and behaviors, we can counteract these restrictions and grasp a deeper understanding of their community.

With pop culture and Hollywood participating in this discussion, we gain first-person perspectives of this movement and are able to visibly see these somewhat ignorant attitudes. This calls into question Caitlyn Jenner, a former "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star who has surprisingly become a poster child for this movement. In a recent "Ellen"episode, Jenner was interviewed about her views on same-sex marriage as a traditionalist and Republican, who are historically known to be against its legalization. Upon being questioned, she stated, “I kind of like tradition, it's always been about a man and a women. And I’m thinking I don’t quite get it.” At the forefront, we see her hesitation; however, she goes on to say that it’s not her job to prohibit another person’s happiness by being against same-sex marriage.

We can appreciate what Jenner said, but we need to question Jenner’s answer as well. As a trans person with a reality TV show, Jenner is pushing people to understand her life and transition. When she goes on a talk show saying that she doesn’t fully understand the concept of gay marriage and why the word marriage holds so much meaning to the LGBTQ community, she is undermining herself. The traditional philosophy she holds raises questions about how we are expected to understand her perspective when she lacks an understanding for this arguably less complicated topic. Jenner’s hypocritical judgments are an example for us to take into consideration the next time we have pre-conceived notions about the LGBTQ community.

By sharing in Hollywood moments like this, which unfortunately do shape our perspective, we are able to see the difficulty of fully understanding this movement, along with how complex the community actually is. Though some of us may only have an outside perspective, we can ensure that our own narrow-mindedness doesn’t get in the way of their equality.

Watch the video for yourself below.