What reaction did you have when you saw “Caitlyn Jenner” for the first time? Are you ashamed of your reaction? Did you feel uncomfortable? Were you happy for her? There are so many mixed emotions that are attached with seeing something that is seen as “different” or “unaccepted”.
The reactions you may have from those Vanity Fair photos are shaped by your childhood experiences, transference, or displacement toward a person and environment growing up.
Bruce Jenner has gone through a sixty-five-year journey that is currently inspiring millions of individuals from around the world. Caitlyn Jenner’s story will hopefully inspire the world to become more aware of the spectrum of gender identification. Out of respect for Bruce’s transition I will refer to him as “her” and “Caitlyn”.
Whether or not you are a part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community we are all capable of relating to someone’s story, but only if we allow ourselves too. We are empathetic to other people’s plights in cases of divorce, war, hunger, and other life situations. However, what about a pair of heels you have never thought you would put on? Imagine putting yourself in Caitlyn’s new four-inch heels and seeing the world from her freshly, mascara-coated eyes. Growing up, society has labeled you even before you were born. Before you could utter your first word the world around you has catered to the societal expectations of what it is like to be masculine. You are treated like a man for many years throughout your life. Feeling trapped by society’s box of expectations and labels, you channel your energy into sports and become a celebrated Olympic champion. You keep yourself distracted from who you truly wanted to be: a woman, defined by your own standards, defined by Caitlyn.
We, as humans, feel uncomfortable when we do not comprehend the complexity of a situation. The transitional identification from one sex to another is an outlying experience.
Gender identification is a journey that requires looking beyond the box as mentioned by Tania Israel, Ph.D. during a TedxUCLA talk.
Dr. Israel described sexuality in a very profound way giving the nickname, “pisexuality”. “Pisexuality” derives from the mathematical concept of “pi”. It was described as the infinite possibilities of sexuality on the spectrum. Ironically, mathematicians also described it as “irrational”.
The profound ignorance of gender on a spectrum needs to be embraced for a societal shift. Understand Caitlyn Jenner from her perspective and put yourself in her heels.
Just how the education of the gender spectrum was missing in the Diane Sawyer interview with Bruce Jenner it is also missing in society.
Before we judge any individual on their decisions of gender identification we must educate ourselves on the awareness of the gender spectrum.
