You don’t have to scroll very far on your newsfeed to see Caitlyn Jenner sticking her perfectly manicured foot in her mouth in this Presidential campaign. In a recent interview with The Advocate, Jenner admitted “likes Ted Cruz,” calling him “a great constitutionalist and a very articulate man.” On an episode of her latest reality show “I am Cait” she gave praise to Donald Trump, saying he would be great for women’s issues. She later called Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton “a f**king liar.” Personally, that last comment seems more competent than the rest of her political statements thus far, but her political standing is shaky, nonetheless.
To sum it up, Jenner is praising people who are using their spotlight to perpetuate hatred and oppression. Many in the LGBTQ+ community, myself included, feel betrayed by her recent actions; her support for these Republican nominees equates to supporting not only her own destruction, but the destruction of the entire LGBTQ+ community and the rights for which we have fought and continue to fight. "The View’s" Joy Behar accurately compared Jenner’s support of Cruz to “Jews for Hitler,” incorporating many people’s criticisms of Trump and Cruz as neo-Hitlers in their persecution of specific groups.
I want to be clear: we need to critique her. For every trans person and queer person who suffers under the oppression supported by her political party, we need to explain why her words are unacceptable. But, to quote an iconic article written by LaSha on the blog The Kinfolk Kollective, “call her out, but call her Cait.” This article was published in November of last year to address the whitewashing of trans issues in the wake of Jenner’s publicized transition, but the sentiment carries over into this issue nicely.
Caitlyn Jenner’s political views have proven to be naïve at best, and downright stupid at worst. She explained her advocacy of Ted Cruz by saying she would love to be his “trans ambassador” and help improve trans lives in the U.S. She expects this of the man who not two months ago said the trend of LGBTQ inclusivity represents “a time of crisis” in this country. A President Cruz would eagerly strike down the marriage equality Supreme Court decision, reinstate conversion therapy in places where it’s outlawed and so much worse. It goes without saying what his stance likely is on the epidemic of murders affecting trans women of color.
But within all this criticism, we must continue to recognize and validate Caitlyn Jenner’s gender. We are criticizing her for supporting a bigoted politician. To call her “Bruce” or, even worse, the T word, is exactly what bigots like Cruz do. It’s violent language, not just to Jenner but also to any trans person who may come across your harmful words. Additionally, it refutes any argument you would be making. Using transphobic language when criticizing Caitlyn Jenner’s Republicanism reveals that what you’re actually criticizing, rather than her troubling politics, is her gender and her existence. If that is the case, try looking inward and assessing if your anger is in fact seated in her trans identity rather than her political one.
So please, join me in criticizing her words of praise to the Republican Party. Heck, let’s go further and criticize the Republican Party, establishment politics and even the government as a whole. But for the safety of those more vulnerable than us, especially those not actively involved, don’t perpetuate the same harmful institutions we are trying to fight against. Keep calling her out, but keep calling her Cait.
