BY JENNIFER VAN LAAR (1 HOUR AGO) |
Bruce Jenner has finally broken his silence on his gender identity, telling Diane Sawyer in a prime time special:
“For all intents and purposes, I’m a woman.”
But for many. the most startling revelation may be that of his political affiliation. After Sawyer noted that President Obama was the first president to use the word “transgendered,” Jenner then took the veteran newscaster by surprise:
Jenner: He actually was the first one to say the actual word transgendered. I will certainly give him credit for that. But not to get political, I’ve just never been a big fan. I’m kind of more on the conservative side.
Sawyer: Are you a Republican?
Jenner: “Yeah. Is that a bad thing? I believe in the Constitution.”
Ironically, the exchange seemed to stun the presumably open-minded journalist more than any of the other exchanges in the entire interview.
Jenner did not reveal what his name would change to, or if he would go through gender reassignment surgery. But he invited Sawyer to interview him again in a year to follow-up.
Another interesting statement from Jenner from the interview is that he is a Christian, and his faith has helped him in this journey:
“I had this feeling, kind of a revelation, that maybe this is my cause in life. This is why God put me on this Earth, to deal with this issue. That was a very powerful moment. It certainly gave me a lot of courage.”
Jenner also said that telling his children about the decision to come out as a woman was one of the most difficult things he’s done. He told his daughter, Casey Jenner:
“It’s not that I’m trying to dress up like a woman, it’s that I’ve spent my whole life dressing up as a man.”
Furthermore, Jenner said that he is attracted to women and is not sexually attracted to men:
“I am not gay. I am, as far as I know, heterosexual. I’ve never been with a guy.”
Kanye West had an insightful and supportive comment which helped daughter Kim Kardashian accept the situation:
“Look, I can be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am. I can have the most beautiful little daughter in the world. I have that. But I’m nothing if I can’t be me. If I can’t be true to myself, they don’t mean anything.”
Jenner was optimistic that he could “change the world” by bringing attention to LGBT issues: “I would like to think we can save some lives here.”
Watch more of the interview below:
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/04/306349- ... paign=Life
