I’ve been asked about the Caitlyn Jenner (who used to be Bruce Jenner) gender change a couple of times since it happened, so I thought I’d offer my take.
Other than Big Brother, which I watch for the strategic elements of it (which this year will also have a woman on the show who was born a man), I don’t really pay all that much attention to reality shows, especially the shows about people that are not contests. I really don’t have any use for anyone named Kardashian who is on TV at present, or who has to get naked and oiled for everyone to wow at.
It also doesn’t surprise me that there are men and women who wish they were the opposite gender than the body parts that were created for them. I find a woman’s body beautiful, a man’s body not so much. We had a city manager in the town I grew up in and lived in (Largo, Florida) named Susan Stanton (who used to be Steve) who got kicked out in 2007 for wanting to change genders, and that in doing so showed poor judgement, or so said the city commissioners at the time. None of those commissioners are around serving their city today, by the way.
My only problem with all of this is that there’s some marketing going on as well. ESPN will be giving Caitlyn an award for her courage in the upcoming ESPY’s, and many felt that the honor should go to Lauren Hill, the women’s college basketball who played early this season with a brain tumor. I just don’t see why ESPN couldn’t set a precedent and honor multiple athletes. We all have the opportunity to show courage every day of our lives, so why not honor more as opposed to less?
Not having gone through it myself, or having the desire to, my guess is that transgenderism is a very personal thing to those who go through it. It’s a personal choice first and foremost.
A Slice Of Big Pauly 