https://twitter.com/SInow/status/747767272228462593
It’s been forty years since Bruce Jenner became a sports hero at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In that time, Bruce has become Caitlyn and her feelings about her athletic past have changed quite a bit. That isn’t stopping of her from stepping onto the cover of Sports Illustrated for the 40th anniversary of her gold medal victory, explaining what her feelings were at the time, and how much has changed since then.
Jenner goes into detail about her transition to Caitlyn and her difficulty with her status as an Olympic champion, feeling “disgusted” with her athletic body and the perception it tossed out into society. The whole thing is such an issue, she keeps her medal hidden away, using this occasion to bring it out for good on the cover of the magazine:
The 66-year-old usually keeps the nationally prized medal in her nail drawer. “It was great for the kids at show-and-tell,” she told the magazine, adding that she has never actually displayed it. But by pulling it out for the cover, she hoped to bring additional attention to transgender-related issues.
“It’s a picture that brings attention to this issue,” Jenner said. “That’s the important thing. That’s why I wore the medal.”
And if you were curious as to why Bruce Jenner/Caitlyn Jenner appears with both male and female pronouns in the Sports Illustrated story, she gave her permission to help differentiate the two eras:
Last spring, in the wake of Jenner’s announcing her transition, GLAAD (formerly an acronym for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation but now simply the organization’s title, representative of a broader mission that includes transgender people) issued a series of guidelines, including one that Jenner be referred to as Caitlyn or she or her, even in reference to the events of 1976. Most transgender people choose to leave their pretransition life—and name—far behind. Jenner, however, often talks about Bruce. ‘Caitlyn doesn’t mind,’ says Nick Adams, director of programs, transgender media for GLAAD, and a transgender male. ‘She has this world of fame in her past. The fact that it doesn’t grate on her like it does most trans people is unique.’
The only question left now is how long it will be until Jenner appears on a box of Wheaties this close to the anniversary. While it is doubtful that we’d see Jenner appear, a limited appearance might be interesting and not out of the realm of possibility. Definitely a collector’s item for some folks.
(Via The Huffington Post / Sports Illustrated / Mashable)
