I have felt so uncomfortable for the past few months anytime Bruce Jenner is mentioned. Before Friday’s two-hour interview on ABC’s 20/20 with Diane Sawyer, all the constant coverage of Bruce Jenner felt voyeuristic—like people were outing him before he had a chance to tell his story. It’s not our business to out people despite what the last few months may have you believe.
Luckily, this has changed. Not for my comfort, but for the comfort of Bruce Jenner and for the lightness and freedom he now seems to have.
On Friday, 16.9 million people learned that someone they know is transgender. Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner became the most visible transgender woman in the country on his own terms. (Though Jenner identifies as a woman, he prefers to be referred to with familiar pronouns of “he” and “him” and by the name Bruce.)
In two hours, Jenner and Sawyer explored his past, his rise to fame and the generational divide it showcases and how excited he is to live a fully realized life as “her,” the woman he knows himself to be. Jenner was immediately candid and straightforward: He wanted people to know you can “identify as a women and still kick butt.”
The openness he gave Sawyer was not always met with poise on her part. When the conversation in Los Angeles veered toward his sexuality, Sawyer’s language was clunky and awkward. Jenner and other experts met Sawyer’s signature almost incredulous interview style with grace. It prompted one of the most radical sentences ever uttered on primetime news: “Genitals don’t equal gender.”
This was likely the first time many Americans had seen a thoughtful discussion of gender, sexuality and celebrity on television. Jenner had an open forum to talk about how long he’s known his gender identity, how it affected his marriages and 10 children, and what his next steps would be both as a private citizen and a public figure. Jenner told Sawyer that after a lifetime in the spotlight, he enjoys being under the radar. “I just like blending in,” he said. He did not claim to be a spokesman for the transgender community but hoped to learn and grow alongside them.
It’s nerve-wracking to write all this because it’s not my story—it’s nowhere near my story. This isn’t the story of Leelah Alcorn, Lamia Beard, Ty Underwood, Penny Proud or the countless other transgender men and women who came before them. These people don’t have access to Jenner’s weath. He has the means to pay for doctors, surgeries, clothing and privacy.
But Jenner’s story is still important precisely because he’s a wealthy, visible figure. As he told Sawyer: “What I’m doing is going to do some good. And we’re going to change the world.”
Bruce Jenner is presenting the idea of being white, Christian, Republican and a transgender woman. He is the living embodiment that these things are not mutually exclusive, an idea that Republican lawmakers have long ignored. When Sawyer suggested lobbying Sen. Mitch McConnell and Speaker John Boehner, Jenner said it was something he was interested in doing. “Neither party has a monopoly on understanding,” Jenner told Sawyer.
Republican White House hopefuls are barely coping with the legalization of gay marriage—and that’s a kind assessment on their poor handling of perhaps the most inevitable policy change of the 21st century. Now, a member of one of America’s last great families has told them: I am like you. Jenner is white, rich, God-fearing, family-oriented and conservative. How will they respond? With coldness and bigotry? With apathy?
Jenner may not end up being the transgender activist some progressives are hoping for, but he can at least help build the bridge between the transgender community and a political party long marred with bigotry on the subject.
Everyone needs a first step, even Republicans. In reaching out to someone who already shares many of their beliefs, conservatives have a shot at mending a tense and combative relationship. It could also remind conservatives of the necessary policy changes in regards to transgender rights, including higher than average rates of unemployment, homicide and violence. Jenner is giving Republicans and much of America their first foray into the transgender community, and it would behoove them to accept what he’s offering.
