Bruce Jenner

[girlygirl002]

Only I can say everybody deserve to be happy and no matter what they say... I send her all the energy and good vibes..

[femmebutt]

You had to say "white and nerdy", Femmebutt! Now I have Weird Al stuck in my head.

I was wondering who would get the reference... You win!

[erisrenee]

I don't do that as much as I did, but when I first came out there was my Allen half and my Ashley half. (Its more like Ashley 70% Allen 30%), but I don't try to separate my gender sides anymore.

I do think it would have been beneficial if he asked for female pronouns instead of male pronouns. Its confusing to even me.

The way I see it, Jenner is entitled to ask for whichever pronouns he wishes to use, and shouldn't feel pushed into using female pronouns or male pronouns. Every person's experiences and preferences are different, and if he wishes to use a different name/pronouns until he's comfortable with feminine ones, it's all good.

The interview made it clear that people have different preferences, different experiences, and was very considerate of all identities and narratives.

[suzifrommd]

The interview made it clear that people have different preferences, different experiences, and was very considerate of all identities and narratives.

Yes, that's why I liked it so much. Too many pieces seem to focus on a very narrow narrative, whereas this interview managed to touch on a lot of the diversity.

[StrykerXIII]

I stand by my take on it...while it's a great way to really get us out there in terms of visibility and possible acceptance, I'm highly irritated that it took someone from that annoying family coming out to get to that point. I mean, don't get me wrong - good on her, I'm glad she's finally free to be herself, but...seriously. It took Bruce Jenner coming out for "transgender" to become a household word in that respect. Jesus christ.

[marsh monster]

I stand by my take on it...while it's a great way to really get us out there in terms of visibility and possible acceptance, I'm highly irritated that it took someone from that annoying family coming out to get to that point. I mean, don't get me wrong - good on her, I'm glad she's finally free to be herself, but...seriously. It took Bruce Jenner coming out for "transgender" to become a household word in that respect. Jesus christ.

I was chatting with my yankee neighbor today about the interview and general stuff and one of the things we agreed on was that for most of us older people, we recall Bruce from the seventies for being such a great athlete, the reality show thing is just recent and not a big factor in how we viewed Bruce. So if it takes someone like Bruce Jenner(world famous athlete) to come out as trans to make people think and talk openly about it, then great.

[StrykerXIII]

I was chatting with my yankee neighbor today about the interview and general stuff and one of the things we agreed on was that for most of us older people, we recall Bruce from the seventies for being such a great athlete, the reality show thing is just recent and not a big factor in how we viewed Bruce. So if it takes someone like Bruce Jenner(world famous athlete) to come out as trans to make people think and talk openly about it, then great.

I'm too young to know Bruce as an athlete, and I don't keep up with sports of any sort anyway. I'd never even heard the name til all that Kardashian crap popped up. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I definitely see it as a great way to make the world better for us. I just have a slightly more narrowed view of the world, willing to admit to that, and therefore it makes me shake my head a little. I'll probably cringe the first time I tell someone I'm trans and they reference Bruce Jenner. But it's definitely a good thing.

[marsh monster]

I'm too young to know Bruce as an athlete, and I don't keep up with sports of any sort anyway. I'd never even heard the name til all that Kardashian crap popped up. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I definitely see it as a great way to make the world better for us. I just have a slightly more narrowed view of the world, willing to admit to that, and therefore it makes me shake my head a little. I'll probably cringe the first time I tell someone I'm trans and they reference Bruce Jenner. But it's definitely a good thing.

Yeah, back in the day, people actually gained notoriety for doing great things that had nothing to do with reality tv, lol.  I may grumble at times about being in my fifties, but one nice thing is that I got to see great things growing up as they happened and got to see major social changes and technical innovations through the years as well.

[sparrow]

It took Bruce Jenner coming out for "transgender" to become a household word in that respect.

Talked about the interview with my wife last night.  She remarked that "Queer eye for the straight guy" had a significant impact on viewers' view of gay marriage.  People of a certain age get all of their information from television.  If their entire exposure to the trans* community is stereotypical misogynist drag queens, are they wrong for drawing the natural conclusion from that?  All we can work with is the information we've received.

What I like^* about Jenner's story is that it's discontinuous.  It's messy.  It's real.  He's suffered, struggled, taken false starts.  Gotten dumped by an ex for it.  When the world got to know Laverne Cox, she was already "drop-dead gorgeous".  She's accepted as a woman because that's how most people came to know her.  But Bruce?  People are actually going to witness a transition.  As a hidden bonus, they're  seeing a glimpse of nonbinary gender with the pronoun ambivalence.  And they aren't going to change the channel 'cause it's the most interesting thing on.  They're fascinated by their ignorance, and they're going to learn.

^* I should be clear, I don't like watching anybody suffer... I like that it's being brought out into the open.

[Devlyn]

Talked about the interview with my wife last night.  She remarked that "Queer eye for the straight guy" had a significant impact on viewers' view of gay marriage.  People of a certain age get all of their information from television.  If their entire exposure to the trans* community is stereotypical misogynist drag queens, are they wrong for drawing the natural conclusion from that?  All we can work with is the information we've received.

What I like^* about Jenner's story is that it's discontinuous.  It's messy.  It's real.  He's suffered, struggled, taken false starts.  Gotten dumped by an ex for it.  When the world got to know Laverne Cox, she was already "drop-dead gorgeous".  She's accepted as a woman because that's how most people came to know her.  But Bruce?  People are actually going to witness a transition.  As a hidden bonus, they're  seeing a glimpse of nonbinary gender with the pronoun ambivalence. And they aren't going to change the channel 'cause it's the most interesting thing on.  They're fascinated by their ignorance, and they're going to learn.

^* I should be clear, I don't like watching anybody suffer... I like that it's being brought out into the open.

+1 for that, check your rep!

Hugs, Devlyn

[Majj Wynn]

I haven't seen the full interview yet, but what I saw was pretty good, all things considered!

Then I looked at the comments... and it was pretty horrible. I didn't think there'd be as much hate as there was.. but it was an official news site, so I guess all camps go there..

[femmebutt]

... I'll probably cringe the first time I tell someone I'm trans and they reference Bruce Jenner...

Really good points, sparrow!  I could rep you x2 for that.  That may have even lifted my inclination to cringe when I first get B.J.'d ! (Am I a total jerk for trying to make that a verb?)

[BunnyBee]

I've heard people say this was our "Ellen" moment.  Such big strides being made.  Remember 3 years ago, when everything was different?

[StrykerXIII]

Really good points, sparrow!  I could rep you x2 for that.  That may have even lifted my inclination to cringe when I first get B.J.'d ! (Am I a total jerk for trying to make that a verb?)

B.J.'d...laughed way too friggin' hard at that one.

[Julie Marie]

Yeah, back in the day, people actually gained notoriety for doing great things that had nothing to do with reality tv, lol.  I may grumble at times about being in my fifties, but one nice thing is that I got to see great things growing up as they happened and got to see major social changes and technical innovations through the years as well.

Jenner's win in the '76 Olympics was really inspirational for me.  I had followed him all through the Olympics that year and became a huge fan.  That win stays fresh in my memory to this day and I get goose bumps just thinking about it.  I've never seen a single Kardashian show, so whatever Jenner's participation in that was, my opinion of him has been unaffected.  I just remember him as a hero, and his work ethic that got him there, inspired me often.

We the new Bruce began to emerge, we all knew where he was going. (I'm using pronouns as per Jenner's request during the interview.)  I know a couple of public figures who came out.  They were nowhere near as well known as Jenner but both described the public frenzy surrounding their coming out as very difficult and challenging, even hellish.  So it wouldn't have surprised me if Jenner continued to try to transition in private (impossible though it was.)  That he agreed to do the interview is commendable, regardless of the reason.  I thought he handled things pretty well.  And I was happy to see the interview didn't become a dress up party.

As for Bruce's request to use his birth name and male pronouns, I understood that to be just for that interview, which would be his last as a man, and until he came out as a woman.  I get that.  Bruce is about 1-1/2 years older than me.  I transitioned at 58.  Bruce is now 65.  No matter how you feel during your life, the longer you remain in the gender role of your birth, the more time it will take to realize that what you've wanted all your life is finally becoming a reality.  I fully understand wanting to ease into it rather than one day being male, the next female.  And as far as the people around you go, slow is far easier on them and you need them in your life at a time like this.

[Tysilio]

I was with a bunch of other trans folks last night, and someone made a slip of the tongue and referred to "Bruce Gender."

Not the last time that happens, I bet.

[femmebutt]

Nice! Hahahah

[femmebutt]

Well, it happened. Wasn't expecting this so fast! My first time as patient with this dermatologist who had an under study with her, "shadowing".  So the Dr. was explaining the different treatments I am interested in and said regarding one, "but you wouldn't want that. That's more for a feminine look." Perfect opportunity! I clue her in that I'm medically transitioning. Without pause she asked about hrt and who my primary doctor is - conveying pure acceptance and concern. Then the shadow chimes in with a "like, eww"  attitude "how about that Bruce Jenner? Why is he  trying to get all that attention in the media? What a circus!" 

I cringed in a way I hadn't expected.

I kept my cool and launched a strong defense but didn't want to make her feel stupid. "I was amazed what a real person he is! It's great that he could help being attention to the difficulties trans people face...   what courage it must have taken to come out to millions of people. I mean, some of us have a hard time facing the scrutiny of the grocery store. Etc etc" I spoke enthusiastically.

Yeah, I stood up for you, person formerly known as Bruce. Cuz when it comes down to it I have nothing but respect and gratitude for you. I'll try to keep the jokes tasteful, please try to do the same with all the attention.

[Shawn Sunshine]

Is there a place to watch the entire interview online? Abc 20/20 has a link but you have to be a cable subscriber or satellite to login and watch it.

[BunnyBee]

It's on hulu, or at least was the other day.  You may have to do the free trial thing for hulu plus.