My New Years Resolution was to stop keeping up with the Kardashians. It hasn’t been easy; those fucking people are everywhere. Despite unfollowing all Jenner/Kardashians on social media, I cannot buy toothpaste at CVS without viewing a recap of their lives via magazine stands.
I don’t care about Kylie’s lips, Kim’s “Selfish” book, Kris’s younger boyfriend, Kourtney’s pregnancy, Rob/Khloe’s weight, Kendall’s modeling career, and Scott’s narcissism. I’m also unamused by Bruce Jenner’s decision to transform into a woman. Still, despite how much I detest the idea of the Kardashians, I can’t help but be frustrated by the public’s response to Bruce’s physical changes.
“I feel like I was meant to be a woman;” for most men that sounds completely and utterly insane. Just because such a thought enters somebody’s mind, doesn’t mean it sounds any less obscure to them. Instead of thinking someone else’s decision is crazy, imagine questioning your own sanity? I can’t begin to grasp the emotional torture.
Bruce’s decision to make a transgender transformation has not sat well with everybody. Although it is 2015 and the LGBT community is more respected and present than ever, it is understandable that some people might not understand the transgender mindset. You’re not expected to relate, but you should respect that you don’t understand it and abstain from judgment.
We live in a forward-thinking society, or so we like to believe. Intolerance is no longer widely accepted, but our compassion is clearly limited. We sit on our computers, casting stones at those who sin against a god many of us don’t even believe in. Have we forgotten the severity of cyber bullying?
Nobody wants to be outcasted. Nobody wants to be subjected to harassment. Unfortunately, we live in a society that has yet to fully embrace the transgender community as a social norm. We have gender-neutral bathrooms in many places now, but restroom accommodations are only a small step towards universal acceptance.
There is the argument that Jenner was married and had a number of children. How could somebody impregnate a woman if they didn’t want to be a man? Have we not considered that perhaps he is still attracted to women? Have you people not seen Orange is the New Black? Bruce is also 65 years old. If he were a 25-year-old in 2015, his decision would have been easier to embrace for a lot of people. He was an Olympic athlete.
For those who ask “why now?” I ask them to consider “why the fuck then?” The “liberal” public’s reaction is frightening enough now, how would you like to be burned at the stake? There is never a good time to tell your family that you’re making a massive, life-changing transformation that could cause public humiliation.
We lose touch with the fact that celebrities are human. We call ourselves activists and even the new age of hippies, yet we are the first to gossip about celebrities and their suffering. Perhaps you can’t sympathize with him because you don’t respect his family. I ask you to consider a young boy who is facing a similar inner conflict to Bruce. After viewing the public reaction to his transformation, do you really think people are going to be honest about their transgender identity? We’re hurting a community, the transgender community, with over 700,000 members in the US alone. Yikes (on our part.)
How can we say that we’re supportive of the LGBT community if we mock those who are part of it? True, Bruce Jenner is a celebrity and maybe not the most liked one, but what does it say about us if we’re choosing to conform to internet trolls and gossip columns?
http://www.people.com/article/bruce-jenner-transition-whats-next
