First thing’s first. I don't care if you like Caitlyn at all. There are many people who believe she is vain and fails to realize that some people aren't rich and can't afford a gender reassignment surgery, so they call her out for her character. That's fine! If you don't like her for who she is as a person, that's one thing, but you better be respectful of who she is as a person, because you never know who is listening to you put her down for her gender identity, when it's really her character that should be judged.
I don’t care if you think Caitlyn has exhibited enough bravery to be awarded the Arthur Ashe Award. There are many people who share this view, and I’m not saying that I fully disagree. I do believe that the 2 women who were the first women in history to graduate from ranger school, Capt. Kristen Griest & 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, are incredibly brave. I believe that any person who is willing to go to battle for this country (or any country, for that matter) is brave. I think people, specifically children, battling life-threatening diseases are brave. The list goes on. And if we are going to award someone the highest of the high courage awards, the first person who came to mind probably wouldn’t have been Caitlyn Jenner, if I’m being honest. However, I do believe there are all kinds of heroes in this world. There are levels of heroism & courage, and you would have to be completely blinded by hatred for the LGBTQ+ community to not see the reasons why Caitlyn is, indeed, a hero to many – particularly to young people struggling with their identity.
A few statistics might be helpful in understanding why every trans person who is willing to come out to the world & be who they are, despite the potential consequences is, indeed, brave. Check out the HRC Research Overview on Hate Crimes and Violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People. Approx. 49% of transgender teens attempt suicide. Transgendered youth whose parents force them to adhere to their birth-assigned gender tend to experience higher rates of depressing, illegal drug use, & suicide attempts than do their cis-gendered counterparts whose parents don’t put that kind of pressure on them. In Chicago, for instance, 18% of homeless youth identify as transgender. Parents are far more likely to abandon their children if they identify as transgender or have identity issues. One in 12 white transgender people is murdered in the U.S, and those statistics rise to 1 in 8 if the transgender person is of color. This is disturbing. Any transgender who is willing to open up to the world & be who they are, no matter what the consequences may be, is incredibly brave, if you ask me. And I think the reason people have awarded Caitlyn Jenner this prestigious honor above all other transgender folks is simply because she is in the limelight. She has a lot more to lose than many other transgender folks. She is in the public’s eye and is subject to much harsher scrutiny, because everyone knows who she is. I’m not saying that other, less famous or not-at-all famous transgender people aren’t brave, because they are, but I think this is particularly why Jenner was chosen for this award.
Now, whether or not you agree with this award being given to Jenner is really a moot point. There are people on both ends of the issue. Yes, I think she is incredibly brave, but the first people who come to mind when I think of giving such a prestigious award would be military personnel, cops, firefighters, etc. But again, there are all kinds of different heroes out there, and Jenner was a big part of the media at the time she was given the award. I get not accepting that she won the award. I get having someone else in mind who you believe to be more deserving. I get not liking her as a person, because of her vanity, or whatever else you don't like about her character. What I don’t get is all of the disrespect toward Jenner, just because of who she has decided to be and how she has decided to live her life, which in no way affects anyone else.
Here’s how to respect Jenner & other transgender people: 1. Call her by the name she has chosen for herself. That is the name she feels best suits her, and which she is most comfortable hearing. What skin is it off your back to call her Caitlyn, instead of Bruce? It’s wrong to dead name someone. Bruce Jenner no longer exists; her name is Caitlyn. Why do you people call me Jo? My birth name is Jordan, but people call me Jo. Why? Because I asked them to. That is the name I’ve chosen to go by, and I feel most comfortable when people outside of my family call me that. And most people respect that, because that respect me, so they call me by the name I asked them to call me. It’s as simple as that. 2. Call her by the pronouns that she feels describe her. Biologically, she may be a male. She may have been born with male genitalia & XY chromosomes, but her gender identity is something completely separate from that. She feels like a female on the inside, like she was born in the wrong body. And that’s ok. Whether you agree with it or not, it is very disrespectful to use dead pronouns when describing a transgender person.
One more thing that everyone should do, for the sake of being a good person: support the cause. You don’t have to agree to realize that the statistics above are disgusting. You can think being transgender is the most terrible thing in the world if you want, but you should realize that these people are important. They shouldn’t be murdered in overwhelming numbers just because of the way they choose to live their lives, which affects no one but themselves. They shouldn’t have to live their lives in fear of being bullied, abused, or murdered. They shouldn’t have to hate themselves so much that they feel the need to commit suicide to get away from such an evil world that hates them for no reason. For the sake of humanity, we should all come together & fight the hatred displayed toward people who are different. Do you know how to join the fight against this hatred? Stop talking about transgender people as if they are lesser than you. Stop talking about how they are “sinning,” and how they are “not natural.” Stop publicly speaking out against how they are living their lives, since their lifestyles don’t affect you in any way. Live your life the way you want to, and live by example if you think they’re “sinning.” No matter how you feel about their lifestyle, you should hate the statistics I showed you even more & want to put a stop to them. THAT will ring way ouder & truer than any bashing you do toward other people.
I don’t care if you think Caitlyn has exhibited enough bravery to be awarded the Arthur Ashe Award. There are many people who share this view, and I’m not saying that I fully disagree. I do believe that the 2 women who were the first women in history to graduate from ranger school, Capt. Kristen Griest & 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, are incredibly brave. I believe that any person who is willing to go to battle for this country (or any country, for that matter) is brave. I think people, specifically children, battling life-threatening diseases are brave. The list goes on. And if we are going to award someone the highest of the high courage awards, the first person who came to mind probably wouldn’t have been Caitlyn Jenner, if I’m being honest. However, I do believe there are all kinds of heroes in this world. There are levels of heroism & courage, and you would have to be completely blinded by hatred for the LGBTQ+ community to not see the reasons why Caitlyn is, indeed, a hero to many – particularly to young people struggling with their identity.
A few statistics might be helpful in understanding why every trans person who is willing to come out to the world & be who they are, despite the potential consequences is, indeed, brave. Check out the HRC Research Overview on Hate Crimes and Violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People. Approx. 49% of transgender teens attempt suicide. Transgendered youth whose parents force them to adhere to their birth-assigned gender tend to experience higher rates of depressing, illegal drug use, & suicide attempts than do their cis-gendered counterparts whose parents don’t put that kind of pressure on them. In Chicago, for instance, 18% of homeless youth identify as transgender. Parents are far more likely to abandon their children if they identify as transgender or have identity issues. One in 12 white transgender people is murdered in the U.S, and those statistics rise to 1 in 8 if the transgender person is of color. This is disturbing. Any transgender who is willing to open up to the world & be who they are, no matter what the consequences may be, is incredibly brave, if you ask me. And I think the reason people have awarded Caitlyn Jenner this prestigious honor above all other transgender folks is simply because she is in the limelight. She has a lot more to lose than many other transgender folks. She is in the public’s eye and is subject to much harsher scrutiny, because everyone knows who she is. I’m not saying that other, less famous or not-at-all famous transgender people aren’t brave, because they are, but I think this is particularly why Jenner was chosen for this award.
Now, whether or not you agree with this award being given to Jenner is really a moot point. There are people on both ends of the issue. Yes, I think she is incredibly brave, but the first people who come to mind when I think of giving such a prestigious award would be military personnel, cops, firefighters, etc. But again, there are all kinds of different heroes out there, and Jenner was a big part of the media at the time she was given the award. I get not accepting that she won the award. I get having someone else in mind who you believe to be more deserving. I get not liking her as a person, because of her vanity, or whatever else you don't like about her character. What I don’t get is all of the disrespect toward Jenner, just because of who she has decided to be and how she has decided to live her life, which in no way affects anyone else.
Here’s how to respect Jenner & other transgender people: 1. Call her by the name she has chosen for herself. That is the name she feels best suits her, and which she is most comfortable hearing. What skin is it off your back to call her Caitlyn, instead of Bruce? It’s wrong to dead name someone. Bruce Jenner no longer exists; her name is Caitlyn. Why do you people call me Jo? My birth name is Jordan, but people call me Jo. Why? Because I asked them to. That is the name I’ve chosen to go by, and I feel most comfortable when people outside of my family call me that. And most people respect that, because that respect me, so they call me by the name I asked them to call me. It’s as simple as that. 2. Call her by the pronouns that she feels describe her. Biologically, she may be a male. She may have been born with male genitalia & XY chromosomes, but her gender identity is something completely separate from that. She feels like a female on the inside, like she was born in the wrong body. And that’s ok. Whether you agree with it or not, it is very disrespectful to use dead pronouns when describing a transgender person.
One more thing that everyone should do, for the sake of being a good person: support the cause. You don’t have to agree to realize that the statistics above are disgusting. You can think being transgender is the most terrible thing in the world if you want, but you should realize that these people are important. They shouldn’t be murdered in overwhelming numbers just because of the way they choose to live their lives, which affects no one but themselves. They shouldn’t have to live their lives in fear of being bullied, abused, or murdered. They shouldn’t have to hate themselves so much that they feel the need to commit suicide to get away from such an evil world that hates them for no reason. For the sake of humanity, we should all come together & fight the hatred displayed toward people who are different. Do you know how to join the fight against this hatred? Stop talking about transgender people as if they are lesser than you. Stop talking about how they are “sinning,” and how they are “not natural.” Stop publicly speaking out against how they are living their lives, since their lifestyles don’t affect you in any way. Live your life the way you want to, and live by example if you think they’re “sinning.” No matter how you feel about their lifestyle, you should hate the statistics I showed you even more & want to put a stop to them. THAT will ring way ouder & truer than any bashing you do toward other people.
I present to you, Caitlyn Jenner.
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