Can Caitlyn Jenner Live?

On our collective "obsession" with Jenner and what to do next.

Annie Leibovitz

In an interview with Diane Sawyer six weeks ago, Bruce Jenner told the world we had no idea who we were looking at and listening to when he spoke. For the majority of his life, he hid from himself, and us, in plain sight. There were tears from the time he opened his mouth, a trip to his childhood home, supportive messages from his children, and the tentative request to use "he" and "his" pronouns until further notice, which we were assured would come sooner than we thought. By the end of the interview, we knew Bruce would re-emerge as someone he called "her," but until then, he would be laying low. And then, there she was. June 1st, 2015, on the cover of Vanity Fair, in a nude body suit with legs extended, and arms tucked demurely behind her, she made her debut with the bold statement, "Call Me Caitlyn."

And we did.

For a moment, it seemed people couldn't offer their support quickly enough. Publications, celebrities, and even Pizza Hut welcomed Caitlyn, eager to call her by her chosen name. This wasn't an example of mere acceptance. This was a celebration, which happened to include a low threshold for transphobic commentary. If there were negative statements made about her or anyone who identifies as trans, they were drowned out, called out, or actively ignored. Tweets and status updates called her "beautiful," "brave," and "free." Unfortunately, roughly 24 hours after the Vanity Fair cover landed on our Twitter timelines and Facebook newsfeeds, some people—mostly people who identify as cisgender—were already bored and looking for a new angle to this story.

That's where things started going south.

Obsession is a word meant to sound as intense as the state of being it alludes to. It's breathy with a hiss in the middle, almost begging to be whispered. Almost as soon as we found out who she was, media outlets and your average internet-using grumps have fallen over each other invoking the word to critique society's reaction to the way Caitlyn decided to reveal her true self to the world.

"Not so patiently waiting for this Caitlyn Jenner obsession to be over."

"This Caitlyn Jenner obsession is very sad."

"Jon Stewart Slams Media for its Obsession with Caitlyn Jenner."

"Signing off social media until this Caitlyn Jenner obsession stops."

"I know I'm arrogant and ignorant for not conforming to the liberalists ideas, but this Caitlyn Jenner obsession is sickening."

"Janet Mock Perfectly Explains What's Wrong with the Media's Caitlyn Jenner Obsession."

Cisgender people wrote each of these social media updates and news headlines within 48 hours of the magazine cover's release. After 65 years of life as Bruce Jenner, a man who at one time was considered the pinnacle of modern masculinity (with an Olympic gold medal, three marriages, and ten children), Caitlyn Jenner introduced herself with a photo and a minute-long video on Vanity Fair's website.

After 65 years, this woman has been herself for four days.

The words beneath her on the cover of the magazine do not say, "This is what a real trans woman looks like." It simply says, "Call Me Caitlyn."


The public is not obsessed with Caitlyn Jenner. We haven't had enough time to become truly obsessed with Caitlyn Jenner. After 65 years of hiding in plain sight, she decided to make a huge splash on the cover of big magazine. This was her choice. We have no reason to believe she did not have approval over what she wore, the pictures that were published, or the headline that was chosen. A trans woman with the power to present herself as she wants? That's worth noting. If you've seen the picture a million times, perhaps it's because we won't have a full profile to read until June 9th. Caitlyn is not done. There is more to be said.

The public is not obsessed. The public is paying attention.

Essays and blog posts written by author Janet Mock, actress Laverne Cox, and writer Meredith Talusan have advised all people to be thoughtful and critical of the narrative surrounding Caitlyn's unveiling. She is wealthy. She has access to plastic surgery, expensive healthcare treatments, and security that most trans women don't have access to. She presents herself in a decidedly cisnormative manner. The writers of these pieces merely ask that we note the danger of adopting a single story about the lives of all trans women. This is an important and necessary ask coming from women whose life-experiences provide them access to the finer details of trans issues with visibility, mobility, acceptance, or lack thereof. This is not an opportunity for us to pit their experiences against Caitlyn's in some trans version of The Highlander. There can be more than one. In fact, there already are, and have been for longer than we know.

I've already seen too many articles by cisgender writers not-so-subtly implying that the words of these prominent trans voices are criticizing Jenner's decision to be on the cover of Vanity Fair, or believe she is undeserving of this wealth of attention, which is not the case. In fact, none of their pieces use the word "obsession." That's just us.

Caitlyn would not have escaped the limelight. She tried. We would not have allowed her to.

The implication seems to be that Caitlyn is taking up all the air in the room, but she did not steal the cover of a magazine. We handed it to her. It is possible she wanted to slink off into obscurity and live a quiet life as herself, finally, in the womanhood she's always known to be true to her heart. But Bruce was a worshipped Olympian before he found himself attached to the most controversially famous family in our country. Caitlyn would not have escaped the limelight. She tried. We would not have allowed her to. She took control of her story, bravely, and if the story has gone on too long for some, it only just reached the climax for her.

Understandably, we are still learning how to write about trans people. More importantly, we're still learning when it's appropriate to write about trans people, and who should be hired to do so (hint: more trans people). We don't always get it right. I'm not even sure that writing this is something I should have done, but I trust those I asked beforehand. When there are big stories within the trans community, especially those more palatable than the number of trans women who have been murdered in 2015, I tend to step back and make room for brilliant trans writers like Thomas Page McBee or Parker Malloy to lead the way in thought. Their perspectives on what is means to be trans will obviously always be closer to accurate than mine.

As a writer, it is my job to write the truth. As a human, it is my job to only put into the world that which is congruent with my personal set of values. As a cisgender person who believes in equality for any and every person on the gender spectrum, it is my job to listen, and when possible, protect and promote marginalized voices. With that perspective in mind, I would like to invite my cisgender brothers and sisters to take a deep breath, listen, and let Caitlyn live. After "65 years of living a lie," as she put it, we can give her a week of thoughtful and compassionate acceptance, and a hearty if leisurely, welcome.

Just don't stop there.

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