Last Sunday’s premiere of Caitlyn Jenner’s new docu-series "I Am Cait" on the E! network drew in roughly 4 million viewers. During a time where 89 percent of Americans say that they do not personally know a transgender person, Jenner provides a means of exposing the general public to a close look at the life of a transgender human in 2015.

There is no denying the fact that, despite significant strides in the right direction, our country has a long way to go when it comes to acceptance of the LGBT community, particularly the all-too-often-forgotten “T.” While most people have a friend or family member who is lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and a public figure “coming out” seems to be routine news, many Americans don’t really know much of anything about what it means to be “transgender.” This ignorance contributes to a stigma of oddity, confusion, and even disgust attached to transgender people. There is no denying the world we live in is a world most trans people do not feel at home in. 41 percent of the transgender community admits to have attempted suicide at least one time in their lives, as opposed to roughly 1.6 percent of the general population.

The fact is, people fear things that they are ignorant about, and communicate this fear through intolerance; and this is nothing new. When the general public began to recognize the growing presence of openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the twentieth century, the community faced violence, discrimination, and relegation to the status of AIDS-ridden, mentally ill, cultural outcasts for decades to come. After years of forcing visibility on the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community through media coverage of protests and portrayal of lesbian and gay characters in TV shows, combined with more people “coming out," deviant sexual orientations became “normalized.” The growing tolerance of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community is evident by growing approval rates of different sexual orientations in the U.S., as well as the fact that as of June same-sex marriage is now the law of the land in all 50 states. Despite the help of a growing presence in news and pop culture, many people can cite a lesbian, gay, or bisexual friend or family member in helping them realize that other sexual orientations are acceptable. However, the majority of Americans do not personally know a transgender person, so Jenner’s position as a public figure can help familiarize Americans with the community in a way more personal and effective than a brief news segment or a barrage of impersonal facts and figures.

Many people feel that while they tolerate Jenner’s transition, she should not have a series and be so public about it. This position itself is actually intolerant, saying that they can tolerate the existence of transgender people, but do not want to have to physically see or deal with it. Much like bottling-up anger with personal issues, refusing to look out and confront the transgender community is a reflex for many people. People do not like to deal head-on with change or difference, because it can be uncomfortable. However, heightened visibility and confronting, learning about, and growing to accept the transgender community is indispensable to transgender youth. A young boy with a love for baseball can watch his favorite MLB player, hang a poster of the athlete on his wall, and practice everyday with the inspiration of a role model in mind. A young girl with hopes of being a singer can hang a picture of her favorite entertainer on the wall, watch the singer perform, and aspire to follow her favorite star’s footsteps.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual children born in the last few years can see television hosts, actors, singers, and family members proudly living their lives and realistically aspire to live an authentic life themselves one day. With the premiere of "I Am Cait," for the first time, a young person struggling with his or her gender identity can turn on their television or computer and see someone happily living life as a transgender person, allowing the child to realistically picture him or herself doing the same. The prospect of a future can provide hope and discourage suicide and suppression of true identity. If this rings true for just one transgender child, then the world needs "I Am Cait."

So, to the naysayers sneering “but why does it need to be a reality show?” - you fail to realize that people like you are precisely the answer to your own, ironic question. Tolerance is different than acceptance. We must go beyond merely tolerating the existence of transgender people, or deeming it “whatever” that “he dresses like a woman now.” We must breed compassion to create a world where the parents of 12 and 13-year-olds do not have to find their children hanged in their rooms one day after school. This compassion and acceptance can only be reached through education.