Bruce Jenner?

Imagine being him for a moment. He spent years of his past as a man when he felt like a woman. And not just a man, a famous one. One who represented, to many people, the pinnacle of masculinity. When in fact, he commonly dressed as a woman to cope.

I would not be able to come out under that pressure. That feeling that everyone is relying on me to be the apex of the gender I don't even identify as. And on top of that, his coming out publicly is an incredible sacrifice. Not a selfish act. He's kept this to himself for years. And his coming out publicly is a sacrifice in the sense that no one is going to look at him and think "This is a beautiful woman". Everyone is going to be looking at him and saying "This is a woman who used to be a man." But his act is bringing attention and understanding to the transgender community in a big and important way.
People love him. And when they realized he was not comfortable in his own body, there was overwhelming understanding and support from so many people. For me, watching my family be understanding about his transition helped me gauge their reactions. I've just come out to my mother very recently thanks to him.

Sure. He should have come out years ago. But it's no less brave or no more selfish that he did it now. His situation was a difficult one to cope through, and the fact that he's coming out at all shows incredible bravery despite the obstacles.

By the way, I use male pronouns because that's what he said he was comfortable with in an interview.

 

I removed my earlier message because I felt I came on too strong. I don't want to be inflammatory or to get personal, because that's not constructive. Sevan did an excellent job with their post instead!

I still stand by the point of my message, but I could have done a much better job expressing myself. So I hope the OP doesn't take offense, but rather that there can be a real conversation about it.

 

Honestly I couldn't care who he/she is. It's just another trans person who's come out late in life who needs the same support and help as any other in that situation. I don't give a damn who it is.

 

I'm honestly really happy for Bruce. Really proud of them (don't know what pronouns bruce uses) and I think their family is very supportive. I support them all the way.

 

I think it's great I look foward to the progress and hopefully if Bruce makes any impact on the Trans community though I don't care for the Kardashian family in the least bit.

 

I hope it is true and he is doing it for the right reasons. My Dad and other people I know think he is just doing it for publicity because he is a public figure, etc. with the whole kardashian branding.

I'm still closeted at 21, so I'm not one to judge by any means. Wonder what went on in Bruce's all these years. Some people never accept themselves, so I think within the whole scheme of things it is great for what he is doing.

 

I'm super happy for Bruce! I think that to say they (I'm unsure what pronouns to use either) should've come out earlier is unfair. Consider Bruce's age, & how in the public eye they are. It's clearly been extremely difficult for them to embrace their identity & I commend them for doing so at all, especially later in life. I thought the interview with Diane Sawyer was brilliant (on Bruce's end, anyway). I love that Bruce acknowledged the disproportionate levels of violence faced by black trans women. I love the emphasis on gender & sexuality being separate. They've spent the time informing themselves & they've taken a huge step. I just hope this starts a massive, global discussion on trans people & what we face. I know there will be folks who condemn Bruce & make nasty jokes, but I hope we start to see a real shift after something as public (& surprising, for a lot of folks) as this.

 

I'm not speaking as a trans person, but as a regular civilian. I think it was perfectly acceptable for Bruce to come out. Yes, he has kids, and yes he has grandkids, and everything else, but if you think about it, why can't he be who he wants to be? He didn't have the opportunities that are now available. He knows what he's risking, but he made sure he did this when his kids were older. His kids can understand the world now, his grandkids are growing up in a world where this stuff is more socially acceptable. It sucks that he had to wait this long.

I really don't understand how this is an act of selfishness. If me saying that comes off snarky or something, I really don't want it to, I'm honestly just curious. I think he's one of the most selfless people on television. He could've dropped everything when he was at the apex of his career to do this, but he waited to be that American olympic hero so many looked up to. Also, for those who thinks he's doing this for publicity; no one would actually go through all this as a publicity stunt. No one would get their Adams Apple shaved for this.

And now this is me speaking as a trans person. It's really hard to come out.

To me, its not only who he wants to live as, but also who he wants to die as. And that is the woman he always was but people failed to see.

(Yes I am using he. I looked it up and there are many articles saying Bruce wants to be he for now, so I am just respecting what I looked up. I am trans, so I do understand what it is like to be mis-gendered, and I do not want this to come across badly.)

 

Yeah, I hope Bruce is just doing it now because she/they've had enough. I read somewhere that his family prevented Bruce from coming out for a while. And then it really ticks me off how everyone automatically still calls her/they a "him" even if Bruce didn't specify peferred pronouns... It's just disrespectful.