So what does it mean to be trapped
in, what presumably feels like, the wrong skin? Bruce Jenner, an American icon,
announced that he will be slowly transitioning to become female. In an
exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer, Bruce talks about his athletic career,
family affairs and personal struggle. Throughout the interview, Bruce stressed
that he didn’t want to discuss sexuality and to focus on gender. Below is my
brief recap of what I saw and a couple takeaway messages from the discussion.
During the
introduction, to what was going to be a heavy two hours, Bruce began to review
his athletic accomplishments with Diane. He loved to race, remembering the time
he beat out his Russian rival to win gold. While starring in the reality show ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ people
often forget he was an Olympic champion.
As the conversation became more open Bruce realized that he had no more
cover, which initially terrified him. What beard* athletics was serving as was
now gone and he needed another distraction to avoid his feelings. As Bruce
began to get teary eyed, he admitted dealing with those feelings was too hard
to handle. He shoved them deeper into his closet, finding comfort in all his
notoriety. He ended up marrying Chrystie Crownover and making millions off
endorsement deals and sponsorships. He was beginning to cling on to the things
in his life that he could control and project into the public, often ignoring
his true feelings. After the spotlight, he had to confront the issues and
feelings that he had been repressing for so long. Finally facing his fears of
being judged. With his marriage crumbling, he slowly began to realize that the
skin he was in was not the skin he felt he belonged in. He divorced Chrystie
and went through multiple marriages to come to the realization that "He [I] was not fair to his [my] wives.*"
Bruce told Diane that he was born
in the wrong skin. After that, the conversation got quite convoluted and it
seemed as if they were going in circles. Bruce had to navigate Diane through
what seemed like a complex maze of gender, sexuality and the intersection of
the two. Diane wanted more answers and it appeared that he was hesitant to
reveal too much too soon. He told 20/20 that his sexual transformation began in
the 80’s with a series of strategic plastic surgeries. During this time he
slowly began telling his closest loved ones starting with his sister. She found
it hard to watch him suffer in the position that he was in but she was
supportive throughout the process and still is. As the two spoke, you could see
in his eyes that he was trying to convince people he is still the same person.
This
interview taught the world a lot about trans issues and how emotionally taxing
the process can be. It isn’t simply a switch you can turn on and off. From having
Laverne Cox on the cover of 'Time' to a hometown hero starting the transition,
we are moving the conversation in the right direction. It appears that the
overall response has been of outpouring love and acceptance. Having a familiar
face and a lovable personality makes the conversation easier and allows people
to be more open-minded. With issues like the abuse and neglect of people in the
trans community across the country, Bruce has been given a unique opportunity.
One of Bruce’s last comments was the positive message he will spread with his
transition. “What I'm doing is going to do some good. We are going to change
the world. We are going to make a difference in the world.*" The LGBT
community and the athletes at GO! support you, Bruce. We encourage everyone,
just as Bruce said, to have “an open mind and an open heart.*” If you want to read more about Bruce and his transformation head over to ABC.
*A “beard” is a term used commonly, referring to an act of
cover for someone’s sexual orientation.
*All quotations and citations can be found in the interview transcript
