There has been much speculation for years that the patriarch of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, Bruce Jenner, was transitioning into a woman. He has undergone numerous plastic surgeries and his appearance has been changing especially in recent years, but now, People Magazine has confirmed that he was in fact transitioning.
A source close to the family also told People that he will be documenting his journey in a television special that will air later this year. It is also newly reported that legendary news anchor Diane Sawyer will sit down with Jenner for an interview about his decision to now live openly as a woman. I personally look forward to this sit-down because I know there are so many questions that people are asking themselves now when it comes to Jenner.
Many are wondering when Jenner knew that he wanted to live as a woman. Some cannot understand why someone of Jenner’s age would want to do this; why now? It may be that Jenner has felt this way for awhile but only now feels comfortable living this way. We just don’t know yet because, to date, Jenner has not said anything publicly about his life and his transitioning.
Allegedly his family members are supportive. Kim Kardashian told Entertainment Tonight that this is his story and he will tell it whenever the time is right. We have not heard anything about negativity coming from the Jenner/Kardashian clan. But most notably, Jenner’s mother has just come out in support of Bruce’s decision. His mother, who is 88, said:
“I never thought I could be more proud of Bruce when he reached his goal in 1976, but I’m more proud of him now. It takes a lot of courage to do what he’s doing.”
This is very encouraging for his mom to be so open and supportive. While we may not all understand what Bruce is going through and/or why he is doing this now, we should all support someone who is willing to live fully as themselves. Undoubtedly there will be a lot of people who will have something negative to say about this decision, but it does take a ton of courage to do what Jenner is doing and to be so public about it when his family is already under such a microscope. Bruce Jenner was also a gold-medal Olympian when he was younger. So in a way, I think this story helps break the stereotypes of athleticism and masculinity which I think is necessary. I support this decision fully and I just wish Jenner all of the best in the future.
NOTE: I have decided to keep male pronouns and call Bruce by his given name since we have not heard from him specifically about what he would like to be called. We are fully supportive of the trans community, but do not want to jump to conclusions when he has yet to speak publicly about this issue.
