In an op-ed in today's Washington Post opinion section, no doubt timed for the election 12 days from now, former Olympic men's decathlon champion Caitlyn Jenner (see file photo) faults herself for voting for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016. She writes that the trans community is now under relentless attack from the president and his administration's unscientific focus on birth gender is "politics at its worst."
Identified below her byline as a "transgender rights advocate and author," the retired athlete formerly known as Bruce Jenner writes that she's had two years to reflect on "thorny issues" worth discussing. Her outlook has changed significantly from what it was "during my highly publicized and glamorized early Caitlyn days, when my life as an out trans woman was just beginning."
Two years ago, Jenner saw "fertile ground for change within the Republican Party on LGBTQ issues." Trump was the first GOP presidential candidate to claim to support this community. Optimistic that she could leverage her privilege for change, Jenner goes on to say:
"I believed I could work within the party and the Trump administration to shift the minds of those who most needed shifting. I made many trips to Washington to lobby and educate members of Congress, other Washington policymakers and powerful influencers. These meetings were generally positive and almost always led to encouraging conversations. Despite the criticism I received from segments of the LGBTQ community for engaging with this administration, I remained hopeful for positive change."
Jenner now realizes she was unrealistic in her support of candidate Trump. "Sadly I was wrong ...
"The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president. The leader of our nation has shown no regard for an already marginalized and struggling community. He has ignored our humanity. He has insulted our dignity. He has made trans people into political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party, claiming his anti-transgender policies are meant to 'protect the country.' This is politics at its worst. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, and it has deeply personally hurt me."
Jenner says her hope in Trump was misplaced and she can't support anyone who is working against her community. She aims to learn from her mistakes and move forward, while listening better to the LGBTQ community, using her voice, her privilege and her foundation to better support her community. She'll seek to educate political and corporate leaders about the issues of homelessness, job discrimination, violence, access to health care, prejudice in housing, depression, suicide and "so many other issues that disproportionately affect our long-ignored community. I will still work with anyone who is committed to help our community. The world needs to hear us. The world needs to know us. We will not be erased."
Repeatedly criticized by transgender activist for having supported Trump, Jenner tweeted:
NBC's Tim Fitzsimons wrote that Jenner's op-ed follows last weeks' New York Times report on a leaked draft memo from the Trump administration that proposed redefining gender to mean an unchangeable biological condition determined by anatomy at birth.
