I have to admit that when the news broke that Bruce Jenner was going to become a woman, I was skeptical. I thought it was a far-fetched rumour. Obviously, time would go on to prove me wrong, and I’ve watched her transition with interest.
The first note I’d like to make is that, watching the HUGE outpouring of support for Caitlyn and her transition has been heart-warming, although the cynic in me has wondered why we are so quick to vocalize our support for a celebrity when there are so many people struggling for support in our LGBT community closer to home. I have wild hopes that Caitlyn Jenner will work as a trailblazer, and the follow-on effects of her very public transition will include a more accepting society in general.
I’ve watched the first two episodes of ‘I am Cait’ avidly – at first out of a voyeuristic inclination, and then out of curiosity and interest.
My hesitations pre-‘I am Cait’ centred around the idea that Caitlyn Jenner was being hailed as the epitome of transgendered people, when she was coming from a background of huge privilege, and her journey has been (in many ways) much more supported and much more cushioned than that of other people in her situation. I love the way that this has been addressed in ‘I am Cait’, and to see Caitlyn’s realisation of the same.
I have watched her new friends talk about the ‘pink cloud’ and how Caitlyn’s apparent self-centredness and blindness to how she is treating those who have known her for years is all a part of her process. We are left with a sense of Caitlyn almost an adolescent, with that strange combination that we all carry at that point in our lives of being so totally sure of ourselves, and so completely out of our depths and learning about ourselves and the world all around. I am so impressed with how the series is panning out so far and will definitely be watching further.
My final thoughts? Here’s what I’ve concluded: if I had waited 65 years to live a life true to my essential being, I’d probably be a little self-centered about it too. AND actually…I come from a ‘normative’ gender story and a ‘normative’ socio-economic story, and as such, it’s really not mine to commentate this issue, but to sit back and learn.
Have you been watching? What are your thoughts?
xo
DOROTHYNADA 
Great post!
I have read many opinions on Caitlyn, from the pure support to the hate to the LGBT advocate, ripping her to shreds along with anyone supporting her, for the fact that she is ‘glamorous’ and unrelatable to the majority of transgender people.
I do believe it shows that as a society, we are progressing and becoming more and more accepting and for that, I thank Caitlyn, no matter how privileged, unrelatable and selfish she may be.
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Absolutely! I definitely agree that the outpouring of support for Caitlyn definitely shows that we are moving forward. 🙂
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