Stop Calling Caitlyn Jenner a Transgender Advocate

When Caitlyn Jenner came out as transgender in 2015, her transition was one of the biggest news stories of the year. Her 20/20 interview had 20.7 million viewers, making it television's "highest-ever rated newsmagazine telecast among adults 18–49”. She won ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award and Glamour’s Woman of the Year Award, and was a Top 8 contender for Time’s Person of the Year. Her new Twitter account set a world record for most numbers gained in the shortest time, passing up President Obama.

Within days of her transition announcement, Caitlyn Jenner had suddenly become the transgender community’s biggest advocate. To millions of cisgender Americans across the country, she represented everything “this new trans thing” was. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the trans community to realize Caitlyn was far from the advocate they’d hoped for.

Her new show, I Am Cait, was little more than a documentation of her extravagant, self-centered life. The show's constant focus on aesthetics perpetuated the idea that every transgender women can and should spend tens of thousands of dollars on transitionary surgeries, luxury makeup, and designer clothes if they want to be considered “real women”. She went on to say, "the hardest part about being a woman is figuring out what to wear." Later that year, when transgender activists fought against men’s Halloween costumes resembling her Vanity Fair cover, Caitlyn silenced their claims by saying she was “in on the joke.”

Soon, Caitlyn Jenner told the media that she was against same-sex marriage because "it makes her uncomfortable". After this, she publicly endorsed Donald Trump. “I want a thriving economy so every trans person has a job,” she said, ignoring the fact that it’s still perfectly legal for employers to actively discriminate against trans people. “Every conservative guy out there believes in everybody’s rights.”

Caitlyn Jenner has been completely blinded by privilege; she has no idea what it’s like to be normal transgender American. Transgender teens are still being kicked onto the street, turned away from homeless shelters, and forced into survival sex. They are still attempting suicide at ten times the rate of the general population, and they are still struggling to access basic mental healthcare. Trans women of color are still being raped, brutalized, and murdered by police (and other hate groups) at terrifying rates.

Despite her worldwide spotlight, Caitlyn has done nothing to bring awareness to the myriad of issues facing poor trans people and trans people of color. Instead, she has used her voice to promote transphobia and publicly endorse political candidates that will make life even more difficult for the vast majority of transgender Americans. Peddling her as the community’s biggest advocate is an insult to trans folks everywhere. .

#gender #class #qtpoc #media #lgbt