Blogger’s note: I was contacted by Olivia Sabine, the writer spoken about in this blog post. According to her, she properly gendered Caitlyn in her story, but her editor changed the pronouns to male pronouns. I don’t think this changes the brunt of my post very much except that the responsibility for the misgendering belongs to the editor rather than the writer herself. In the end, regardless of who mandated male pronouns, Jenner is treated poorly and unacceptably.
I’m not really fond of Caitlyn Jenner. She is someone who has ended up with far more media attention than I believe she deserves, and I think she has been pretty crass in the way she has used the media for her own personal gain. I am not one of those critics who think she has been bad for transgender rights in general, however. Anyone who suggests that, is being unfair in a big way. Her journey and her experiences are as authentic as anyone else’s, and anyone who suggests there is a “right way” to be trans* or to be a “public trans person” ought to be ignored. We are all just people, and any constructs about a “right” type to be, are ludicrous.
But I think anyone who goes through a transition, even a minor one like coming out as gay or lesbian, let alone a major one, like coming out as transgender, serves themselves and others best by waiting until they have made it a ways down their journey, and then share about what they have experienced. Jenner has done it ass backwards, using the photo spread of her “new” look to catapult her celebrity status.
But no matter how little fondness I have for Jenner, it still irks me to no end when anyone misgenders her or others as so-called journalist, Olivia Babine recently did:
At the university speaking engagement, a student asked why Jenner did not belong to the Democratic party, a party which is perceived by many as more open to the LGBT community. Jenner responded, “I have gotten more flack for being a conservative Republican than I have for being trans.” He added, “at this point Democrats have been painted as the party of LGBT issues, but there are plenty of Republicans that believe ‘live and let live.’”
Throughout the event Jenner expressed that he felt his father would be proud
Jenner isn’t a “he,” hasn’t been a “he” and will never be a “he.” Period. It is really that simple.
What’s ironic I think is that Babine and Western Journalism, the platform she blogs at, are perfect examples of why people chide Jenner for remaining a Republican. Here’s what Western Jounalist is all about (emphasis is mine):
Western Journalism is a news company that drives positive cultural change by equipping and informing people with truth. It hosts WesternJournalism.com, a news website and blogging platform built for conservative, libertarian, free market and pro-family writers and broadcasters.
Some libertarians are “live and let live” people as Jenner suggests, and others are, well… judgemental assholes.
Now Jenner is a grown adult and truly capable of weathering any garbage written by a second rate anti-LGBTQ blogger. But I believe all of the LGBTQ community has to call out rhetorical violence when we see it. There is no call for misgendering, and it can only serve two purposes. Either it comes from ignorance or stupidity, or it is intentionally directed violence. It never has a useful positive purpose.
For the record, I think Jenner is nuts to remain a Republican, but I respect that she has every right to identify with whatever party she chooses. The “live and let live” bunch she speaks about is such a small sliver of the whole GOP that it is easily lost, and has no real power. But changing party affiliations is a journey and process too. Jenner deserves her own opinions. Many of us just hope she will see the bigger picture in time.