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Gender transition of Caitlyn Jenner

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Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, came out as a trans woman in April 2015, and announced her completed transition in June 2015.[1] The transition was covered by media outlets worldwide.

Coming out

Jenner first announced her transition in an April 23, 2015 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer, saying she had dealt with gender dysphoria since her youth, and that, "for all intents and purposes, I'm a woman." Jenner cross dressed for many years and did hormone replacement therapy but stopped after the romance with Kris Kardashian in the early 1990s became more serious.[2][3][4] Jenner recounted having permission to explore her gender identity on her own travels but not when they were coupled, and that not knowing the best way to talk about the many issues contributed to the deterioration of the 23-year-long marriage, which formally ended in 2015.[4]

While she has undergone some cosmetic surgery, she has not undergone sex reassignment surgery or ruled it out. She stated that, for her, life as a woman is primarily a matter of mental state and lifestyle.[5] She said she has never been attracted to men, had exclusively been attracted to women before her transition and now identifies as asexual.[6][7]

Jenner's announcement came at an unprecedented time for trans visibility, including legislative initiatives.[8][9] The 20/20 interview had 20.7 million viewers, making it television's "highest-ever rated newsmagazine telecast among adults 18–49 and adults 25–54".[10] The Daily Beast noted that Jenner's honesty, vulnerability, or fame may have caused "cheap jokes" about trans people, like those which aired during the show as part of the interview's educating the public on transphobia, to "seem mean to a mainstream audience on an unprecedented scale".[11] Using examples of how comedians had changed in their talking about Jenner's transition, The Daily Beast saw the change as the same evolution that took place in acceptance of LGBT people as a whole when "comedians finally cross the critical threshold from mockery to creativity in their joke-telling".[11]

Prior to Jenner's 20/20 interview, a two-part special titled Keeping Up with the Kardashians: About Bruce was filmed with the family to answer questions and prepare their children for personal and public aspects of the transition.[12] The episodes aired in May 2015; they emphasized a point made in the 20/20 prelude: that there is no one right way to transition. Jenner made it a priority to ensure that all her children were independent first before focusing inward.[12]

Vanity Fair cover

The Washington Post commented that Jenner's debut Vanity Fair cover, shot by Annie Leibovitz, had special significance for its subject: "After all the magazine covers that featured the former athlete, once lauded as the 'world's greatest athlete,' the Leibovitz photograph will be the most meaningful. Looking directly at the camera, Jenner is finally herself for the first time publicly."[13]

In June 2015, Jenner debuted her new name and image, and marked using feminine pronoun self-descriptors.[1] Premiering the new "her"—as Jenner referred to her emerging gender identity—was done with a photo spread, interview, and Vanity Fair cover shot by Annie Leibovitz, which was released by Jenner via Twitter.[14] Jenner is the first openly transgender woman featured on the cover of Vanity Fair.[15] The Vanity Fair cover shot included the caption, "Call me Caitlyn," and accompanied her new Twitter handle, @Caitlyn_Jenner, and the message, "I'm so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can't wait for you to get to know her/me." She amassed over one million Twitter followers in just over four hours, setting a new Guinness World Record and surpassing United States President Barack Obama, who, a month before, accomplished the same feat in four and a half hours.[16] Four days later Jenner was up to 2.37 million followers, with another 1.5 million followers on Instagram.[17]

Recognition, influence

With her profile raised by her national coming, Jenner became one of the most recognized trans women and arguably the most famous LGBT athlete.[18][19][20][21] Jenner acknowledged in her 20/20 interview that part of her reason for being so visible was to bring attention to gender dysphoria, violence against trans women, and other transgender issues.[22] She also sought to promote more informed discussion of LGBT issues at a time when the trans community has unprecedented visibility.[22] She signed with Creative Artists Agency's speakers department and will collaborate with the CAA Foundation on a philanthropic strategy focusing on LGBT issues.[23] She made a private appearance at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on June 9, 2015, where she spoke with at-risk trans youth.[24]

Jenner received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award during the 2015 ESPY Awards on July 15, 2015. According to ESPN executive producer Maura Mandt, Jenner was given the award because "she has shown the courage to embrace a truth that had been hidden for years, and to embark on a journey that may not only give comfort to those facing similar circumstances, but can also help to educate people on the challenges that the transgender community faces."[25] She is the third consecutive openly LGBT person to receive the award following footballer Michael Sam (2014) and anchorwoman Robin Roberts (2013).[26]

Her transition is the subject of an eight-part TV documentary series, I Am Cait, which premiered on E! on July 26, 2015. The hour-long episodes detail Jenner's gender transition and her life after publicly coming out as Caitlyn.[27][28]

References

  1. ^ a b Leibovitz, Annie (June 1, 2015). "Introducing Caitlyn Jenner". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  2. ^ Dooley, Sean; Dawson, Margaret; Zak, Lana; Ng, Christina; Effron, Lauren; Keneally, Meghan. "Bruce Jenner: 'I'm a Woman'". 20/20/ABC News. Retrieved April 25, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Allen, Nick. "Bruce Jenner 'started transgender journey in 1980s'". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. ^ a b Lee, Esther. "Caitlyn Jenner Insists Kris Jenner Knew About Women's Clothing, Breast Growth, Hormone Use". Us Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. ^ Diane Sawyer, (April 24, 2015). "Bruce Jenner – The Interview". ABC News.
  6. ^ Yahr, Emily (April 24, 2015). "Bruce Jenner's in-depth interview: 'For all intents and purposes, I am a woman'". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  7. ^ "Bruce Jenner Comes Out as Transgender Woman: How Family, Celebrities Reacted". ABC News. April 24, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  8. ^ Griggs, Brandon. "America's transgender moment". CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  9. ^ Helmore, Edward. "Bruce Jenner throws focus on America's 'new civil rights frontier'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  10. ^ Berman, Marc. "Bruce Jenner '20/20' Interview Rises to Over 20-Million Viewers". TV Media Insights. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Allen, Samantha. "How To Tell A Bruce Jenner Joke: Late Night's Subtle Transition". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Marcus, Stephanie. "'Keeping Up With The Kardashians: About Bruce' Was Just As Emotional As Expected". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  13. ^ Capehart, Jonathan. "Caitlyn Jenner comes out in Vanity Fair". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  14. ^ Leonard, Elizabeth. "Bruce Jenner to Pose for Cover of Vanity Fair, Sources Say". People. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  15. ^ Master, Samantha. "8 Transgender Women of Color Who Are Using Their Visibility to Empower Transgender People of Color". The Root. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. ^ Parkinson, Hannah Jane (June 2, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner smashes Twitter world record, reaching a million followers". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  17. ^ Italie, Leanne. "Graydon Carter: Vanity Fair 'Worked' the 'Net on Caitlyn". Associated Press. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  18. ^ Pilkington, Ed (June 2, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner: transgender community has mixed reactions to Vanity Fair reveal". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2015. Caitlyn Jenner's transition on the cover of Vanity Fair into the most famous trans woman in the world has earned her a massive global platform in under 24 hours.
  19. ^ "Transgender reality, post-Jenner". MSNBC. June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015. As Caitlyn Jenner becomes the most famous transgender woman in history,
  20. ^ Allen, Samantha (June 2, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner's Beauty Should Not Obscure the Reality of Trans Lives". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 3, 2015. With Jenner undoubtedly becoming the world's most well-known transgender woman overnight,
  21. ^ Elsom, Dan. "Five transgender athletes that dominated the sporting world". News.com.au. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Ford, Matt. "The Courage of Bruce Jenner In a landmark interview with Diane Sawyer, the Olympic champion and reality-television star came out as transgender". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  23. ^ Sun, Rebecca (March 6, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner Signs With CAA Speakers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  24. ^ Kellaway, Mitch (June 11, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner Gives Inspirational Speech to Trans Youth in First Public Appearance". Advocate.com.
  25. ^ Nesheim, Jay Jay (June 1, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner to be Honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at The 2015 ESPYS on ABC July 15".ESPN Media Zone.
  26. ^ Garcia, Michelle. "This Summer, Caitlyn Jenner Will Have a Watershed Moment for Trans Athletes". Mic.com. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  27. ^ Nessif, Bruna (June 3, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner Starring in New E! Docu-Series I Am Cait—Watch the First Promo!". E! Online. E!. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  28. ^ ABC News. "'I Am Cait' Promo for Caitlyn Jenner Docu-Series Hits the Internet". ABC News.
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