When i thought of Sam Killerman’s article 30+ examples of cis-gender privilege a few weeks ago, Caitlyn Jenner was just being introduced to the world on the cover of Vanity Fair’s June issue. I’d caught the interview that Bruce Jenner had with Dianne Sawyer a few days before, where he referred to his “other persona,” but didn’t catch a glimpse of Caitlyn until the Vanity Fair article was released, and the media frenzy ensued. Much was made of how good Caitlyn looked, and many a heterosexual-identifying male stood up proud, chest-puffed, to say they’d proudly “do her!” There was, unfortunately, a fair share of negative reviews as well. I ended up speaking with a very good friend about the choice of outfit Caitlyn had made (or the editors had made for her) for the cover. The conversation that ensued was about what stage of transgendering Bruce/Caitlin was/were at, and how much Photoshopping (and tucking) occurred. I was surprised at how negative her response to the image was, as she questioned why did Caitlyn need to wear such a revealing outfit to “show off.” I stressed that both the cover, and full photo shoot, are quite tasteful, and beautifully done – I don’t imagine that Annie Leibovitz has shot a bad photo in her life! Unfortunately, my friend wasn’t convinced, which brought home Killerman’s 4th point quite clearly at that moment:
Stuart (Stu) Dent
Your validity as a man/woman/human is not based on how much surgery you’ve had or how well you “pass” as non-transgender.
I was reminded then of one high school yearbook photo when i posed as Stuart Dent, you can call me Stu for short. With my freshly coiffed, short locks, geekly combed forward, my uncharacteristically broad shoulders filling out one of my dad’s (a.k.a. the Cow) retro red blazer, and a pair of his safety glasses on, i looked the part of the uncomfortable, chubby, nerdy, male teenager. I recall the photographer going out of his way to get my best angle, and to make me feel at ease, when i likely seemed quite nervous – half afraid of getting caught, the other half afraid of bursting out laughing. I can only imagine how difficult that photo shoot for Vanity Fair was for Caitlyn. And of course, how difficult the days to come will be for Caitlyn, as a transgendered woman. Jon Stewart, taking no time to state it brilliantly, drawing the connection to what she will feel like as a woman – judged already by her physical appearance, more so than her skills and accomplishments. I imagine Caitlyn has already experienced some of the 30+ examples, and sadly, can likely add a few more in the years to come.