Bruce Jenner, Olympic gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, now becoming a woman? Strange as it may sound, Bruce Jenner confirmed that this is indeed true while in an interview with Diane Sawyer. “For all intents and purposes, I am a woman," he told Sawyer. "I was not genetically born that way and as of now I have all the male parts, But I still identify as female (http://www.app.com/story/life/family/parenting/shari-puterman/2015/02/05/bruce-jenner-becoming-woman/22922069/)”. From the early 1980s, he started taking female hormones and kept taking them for a stretch of five years. He stopped for fear of upsetting people. Jenner said that he loved his ex wife Kris from whom he separated in 2013, very much and also his children, but was afraid to reveal his true self, the way he felt about himself. Jenner held girl parties at his Malibu residence, where he could be himself, without expecting reproach. In the pictures below, the marked difference in the “then” Bruce Jenner and the “now” Bruce Jenner is apparent.
His daughters were unhappy with this transition, though his son Brandon, once he got over his initial shock, said “I feel like I am getting an upgraded version of my dad” (http://www.app.com/story/life/family/parenting/shari-puterman/2015/02/05/bruce-jenner-becoming-woman/22922069/). Jenner also tried cross dressing, since he is a public figure on his own right and also because of his association with the Kardashian family, he has been followed very closely, ever since the first rumors started floating on his apparent transition. Some members of the public have been supportive of Jenner and some have indulged in criticism. Some public comments are given below:
“When Jenner does speak, I hope we resist the urge to mock. If not for his sake, then for the sake of the countless others who may be able to identify with what Jenner says” (http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/09/opinion/granderson-bruce-jenner/) and “Some transsexuals who are not public figures don’t always opt for secrecy. It is a choice for most, but it wasn’t for me after La Jolla, and it isn’t for Jenner now” (http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/2/i-am-no-expert-for-bruce-jenner.html).
English actress, Alice Eve was criticized for her comments about Jenner post his interview with Diane Saywer. She was finally forced to publicly issue an apology through the PEOPLE magazine saying “I deeply apologize for offending anyone” (http://www.people.com/article/alice-eve-criticizes-bruce-jenner-instagram-comment-transphobic). She further explained that her intention was to welcome acceptance and equality for all. It just goes to show that no matter how well loved or popular a person or star is, he/she cannot get away by making unsavory comments about someone’s personal life, publicly. The media, digital, social and print, will not allow that to happen.
In the same interview, he scandalized the Liberals by saying that he believed in the constitution and he was rather conservative and that he was a Republican. A lot of people took umbrage at the comment, perhaps feeling that one who admitted to being a transgender, had no business commenting on politics or the constitution. People made comments like confused, mixed up, conservative and a republican. These comments are surprising since the U.S has about 700,000 transgender population.(FOXNEWS).
Now with the laws changing and same gender marriages being allowed by some governments and also recognized by the Church, such scandalized outbursts by certain sections of the population are bound to ease out and people such as Bruce Jenner can chose the way way they want to live their lives.
Works Cited:
Lewis.T. , (2015). Bruce Jenner’s Transition: How many Americans are transgender. FOXNEWS. Retrieved from: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/04/28/bruce-jenner-transition-how-many-americans-are-transgender/
Lyall.S. and Bernstein.J. , (2015). The Transition Of Bruce Jenner: A Shock To Some, Visible To All. The New York Times. Retrieved From: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/sports/olympics/the-transition-of-bruce-jenner-a-shock-to-some-visible-to-all.html?_r=0
PEOPLE. , (2015). Alice Eve Apologizes for 'Transphobic' Comments: 'I Have Deep Compassion and Support for Bruce Jenner'. Retrieved From: http://www.people.com/article/alice-eve-criticizes-bruce-jenner-instagram-comment-transphobic
Puterman.S. , (2015). Bruce Jenner reveals biggest supporter. Retrieved From: http://www.app.com/story/life/family/parenting/shari-puterman/2015/02/05/bruce-jenner-becoming-woman/22922069/
Timpf. K, (2015). Tolerant Liberals Start Insulting Bruce Jenner When He says He’s Conservative. NATIONAL REVIEW. Retrieved From: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/417543/tolerant-liberals-start-insulting-bruce-jenner-when-he-says-hes-conservative
