T and I sat down together this evening and watched Bruce Jenner’s last interview with Diane Sawyer in its entirety. We both were impressed with it. Sawyer was very respectful, and Jenner was very candid. It was neither the circus nor the painfully scripted spectacle it could have been. We both feel Jenner was able to tell his* story eloquently and in language everyone should be able to understand. I particularly like how supportive his first two wives and his children were.
One thing grinds my gears about the interview though. Other than the unique details of his life, Jenner said nothing other transgender people with far less money and of color haven’t already said. Yet Jenner, a wealthy white man, was able to tell his story and be respected by his interviewer, while the transgender people who came before him were not. As recently as last year or the year before Laverne Cox had to correct an interviewer who wanted to focus on the deeply personal details of sexual reassignment surgery rather than respecting her privacy. Why wasn’t Cox treated with the same kind of compassion as Jenner? It smacks of what I’ve seen in the media time and time again: people of color or people of fewer resources make a statement and are not taken seriously, but as soon as a wealthy white man makes the same statement compassion and respect are overflowing. (Relatively speaking. Jenner has been the subject of media bullying and will probably continue to be in our disrespectful media culture. But in this interview the difference was stark.)
I am relieved for Jenner that he can now be who he was created to be and wish him all the best as he continues to walk in his truth. More than that, I look forward to the day when all transgender people, regardless of socioeconomic status or race, are treated with the same kind of respect in interviews as Jenner was treated in his.
*As per Jenner’s wishes as he relayed them to Diane Sawyer, when speaking about this interview I refer to him using male pronouns.