In an exclusive interview last Friday with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Bruce Jenner came out as transgender.
Jenner, who asked that the pronoun “he” would continue to be used until he finished his transformation into “her,” revealed that he had struggled with his gender identity for his entire life. The interview focused on his battle throughout his entire life, from his childhood home where he first began to crossdress to his 1976 Olympic victory in the decathlon to his role on the hit reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”
One topic that appeared throughout the interview was how he slowly opened his true self to his family. Another was how gender, anatomy, and sexuality can be and are independent, even if they are in concurrence for the vast majority of people. As the transgender community faces a disproportionate amount of discrimination and very high suicide rates, Jenner said that by coming out, “What I’m doing is going to do some good, and we’re going to change the world.”
How will Bruce Jenner’s interview affect visibility for the LGBT community? Will more people come out as transgender as a result? As people watch his upcoming reality show, will society and its institutions begin to adapt?
Guests:
Kevin Fallon, Entertainment Reporter, The Daily Beast; (Briefly) a Red Carpet Reporter for US Weekly; The Daily Beast: "Bruce Jenner Comes Out as Trans in a Landmark Television Moment”
Thomas Page McBee, advocate on transgender issues and author of "Man Alive: A True Story of Violence, Forgiveness, and Becoming a Man." He’s contributed stories about gender and culture to The New York Times, the Atlantic.com, BuzzFeed, and VICE. He is currently the Director of Growth at the news site Quartz.