Disclaimer: I acknowledge that I am not the ideal
commentator on this topic, being a cisgendered, heterosexual, middle-class
white woman. I don’t often talk about these matters for fear that I will offend
and/or upset someone. But as I think of this blog as my space to express –
amongst other things – my personal opinion, I decided that I would give it a
go. Like most people, I am not perfect, and if anything I’ve said does trouble
you, please let me know in a kind and respectful manner. To that end, I use
male pronouns when talking about (the now-eradicated) Bruce Jenner, and switch
when I start to discuss the post-transition woman Caitlyn Jenner.
So after years of speculation – accelerated especially
within the last few months, since his divorce from Kris Jenner – an exclusive
interview with Diane Sawyer, and a two-part Keeping
Up With the Kardashians special, Vanity
Fair today released shots of Bruce Jenner that will form the core of their
next issue. These photos are the first that show Jenner as she will now be
known: as Caitlyn Jenner. That is her chosen female name, and it is now clear
that she has undergone gender-reassignment surgery. On the cover, Caitlyn
perches on a stool, her arms behind her back and her curly hair falling over
her – yes, still broad – shoulders as her eyes stare into the camera in a way
that turns her closed mouth into a slip of a smile.
