Over the course of the past several months, I’ve often thought of Bruce Jenner as Capt. Weirdo. I still believe he’s an odd bird, yet there’s something strangely invigorating about his story.
I guess the main thing that needs clarification is Bruce no longer uses “he” as a pronoun when describing himself. Now it’s she. And it’s no longer Bruce. It’s Caitlyn.
If you’re confused, just check out Jenner’s picture on the cover of next month’s Vanity Fair. The former Olympic gold medalist and iconic Wheaties cereal box cover boy is now a woman. The magazine cover shows a long-haired Jenner in a strapless dress looking like anything but a 65-year-old man.
Rock star Kid Rock once crooned, “If you’re gonna be somebody, be yourself.” I wonder if he had Bruce Jenner in mind.
Jenner’s story is one which has captivated the nation, if for no other reason than people will slow down to see the carnage of a train wreck. After announcing himself to the world as Caitlyn on his new Twitter account Monday, Jenner had 630,000 followers in two hours. “I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self,” Caitlyn said.
According to Vanity Fair, Caitlyn has spoken emotionally about her gender journey: “If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life.’”
In a world when we encourage everyone to be themselves, yet no one wants to be different, what can we take from Jenner’s story? He was heralded as one of the greatest athletes on the planet when he won Olympic gold in the 1976 decathlon. And like so many Olympic gold medalists with a winning smile, he converted that gold medal into instant fame.
Now he’s a woman. America may pride itself on tolerance and acceptance (in our U.S. Constitution at least) but even this is hard to put our panty hose around.
Fred Dixon, who competed alongside Jenner on that ’76 Olympic team, admits the Vanity Fair cover is difficult to accept.
“Bruce was one of the best athletes who ever existed. Now, to see that photo ... somehow it doesn’t compute,” Dixon told TMZ. “I look at it and I don’t understand it. I’m not in any way judging him, but it’s very different. I don’t understand what’s going on now, but he’s still my friend.”
We often look to the Bible when seeking clarity, but there are no biblical verses, to my knowledge, pertaining to transgender lifestyle choices. Thou shall not become a woman isn’t written in scripture.
Anyone who has ever encouraged someone to “chase your dreams” or “be yourself” can’t be too critical of Jenner. The general masses may think it’s a freak show, but to Caitlyn Jenner the cage door is finally open. It’s time for this odd bird to fly.