Originally posted June 4, 2015 on kaylieericson.blogspot.com
A few million people have taken to social media in the past few days to acknowledge Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner's coming out. I like to think a majority of them are supportive, open-minded and congratulatory of Caitlyn and her brave (yes, BRAVE) journey in publicly and completely freeing herself from living with the body and lifestyle of a gender that didn't reflect her true self; however, thousands have voiced their frustrations with the "attention-whoring" nature of the Kardashian/Jenner family as well as the "disgraceful" and "undeserved" attention Caitlyn has received from outlets such as ESPN, which is awarding her the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Let's set a few things straight.
First, I'll clarify something many people are confused about: Gender identity has nothing to do with sexual preference. Sexual preference indicates the gender(s) to which you are attracted. Gender identity is the gender with which you personally identify, regardless of whom you find attractive. A good example is the interview in which Bruce Jenner (before the transition to Caitlyn) said he used to secretly try on dresses; to address those who say she's "just a gay man," trying on dresses and other feminine tendencies have nothing to do with being sexually attracted to men (ever heard of a lesbian wearing a dress? Same concept). Sexual orientation is not the same thing as gender identity, which means Caitlyn's transition has nothing to do with whether she's straight, lesbian, bisexual, etc. She simply feels that the body she was born into does not match the gender her mind and soul reflect. Oh, and for the record, it has been established in the field of psychology that being transgender is not a mental illness and it is not considered a sexual perversion. There is nothing "sick" about Caitlyn Jenner.
Second, the definition of courage, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is "the ability to do something that is difficult or dangerous." I'd say it would be pretty damn difficult to say to your family and friends (and the rest of the world) that even though you've lived 65 years as a man, husband and father, you feel that you are a woman trapped in a man's body. Many transgender people have also been the victims of suicide, verbal and physical abuse, and murder; does "danger" come to mind? So, by coming out as transgender and revealing her true self to millions of people, Caitlyn Jenner has PERFECTLY exemplified the dictionary definition of "courage."
Third, ESPN has confirmed there is no such thing as a "runner-up" for the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. There's a rumor swirling around on social media that a double-amputee veteran came in second to Caitlyn, which has sparked a huge, misguided outrage about how a transgender person beat out a soldier for a courage award. Lauren Hill has also been mentioned. Let's be clear: Lauren Hill and Noah Galloway are perfect examples of what it means to have courage. Caitlyn Jenner has courage for different reasons, but she is no less deserving of the award than they are.
Here's why:
There is not a sane person in this country who doesn't recognize and admire the courage of Lauren Hill, Noah Galloway, and similar heroes. They're "no-brainers," meaning no one would be surprised or upset if they were awarded for courage. No one would question the choice and no change would come from it.
That's where Caitlyn Jenner comes in. It's 2015 and the LGBTQA+ community still sees daily incidents of everything from impossibly rude comments on Instagram to hate crimes involving assault and murder. Few people fully understand the concepts of gender identity and sexual preference, and only recently have public figures begun to confidently come forward about their support and/or personal experience with these issues. Whether you like the Kardashian/Jenner family or not, they have incredible influence. They have connections to powerful people and millions of fans and social media followers. I'm not saying Caitlyn Jenner's transition is a publicity stunt, but her coming out is bringing a very real issue to light. By interviewing with Diane Sawyer and being on the cover of Vanity Fair, Caitlyn is educating fans and the general public about gender identity. ESPN presenting her with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award is not only justified, it's showing that even the most-consumed media outlets in the world know we need to accept and love the LGBTQA+ community; social change is in order, and it takes courage to spark it. If that starts with Caitlyn Jenner, then so be it.
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