Im Me. Im a Person.

Its Who I
Am.
By Brittan Kennedy
If I were lying on my
deathbed and had kept
this secret and never did
anything about it, I
would be saying, you
just blew your entire life.
You never dealt with
yourself, and I dont
want that to happen.
Bruce Jenner
Bruce Jenner was known
to many as the worlds greatest athlete. He was the epitome of a man, an
American hero, who could not have received more admiration from people all
around the world. He broke several records during his most glorified years in
the Olympics and became a gold medalist.
With so much success you would think he felt happy and accomplished, but
that was the farthest from the truth. The one thing that he wished for, to just
be comfortable in his own skin, was honestly the only thing hes ever wanted
to achieve.
Shuffling through his moms
closet at a young age, he felt a
deep yearning to explore his true
self. He put on a dress. Sneaking
around making sure no one was
home he marked the closet so he
could put everything back in the
same spot without anyone
suspecting anything. He then
snuck out of the house wrapping
a
scarf around his head to cover his boyish hair. Just being able to walk the
streets without anyone knowing who he was or what he was made things
better for him. He didnt know why he was doing this or what he was feeling;

he had no place to get information. All he knew was that it just made him
feel good. Dr. Norman Bach, Harvard professor, states that only a small
portion of children will keep signaling this fierce conflict inside. This is not a
mental illness or a phase. You cannot just go to a therapist and get fixed.
Gender lives in the brain. This is something he continued to feel throughout
his life.
According to NHS, it is not known exactly how many people experience
gender identity disorder because many people with the condition never seek
help. A study carried out in Scotland in 1999 found that around 1 in every
12,500 people may have the condition, although some people believe this is
a significant understatement. A survey of 10,000 people undertaken in 2012
by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that 1% of the
population surveyed was gender variant, to some extent.
Growing up he did not socialize a lot because when dealing with this you
dont fit in. Everyone else is comfortable in their own skin. Imagine waking
up every morning, looking in the mirror and not seeing yourself. He felt a
strong disassociation from this reflection of the young boy he was looking at.
Its like someone playing a trick on you and replacing the mirror with glass
and having someone else mimic your every move. Whoever is behind this
mirror is not me, his reflection felt unreal and very distant. By adolescence it
became a daily fight. Stress was building as he was being forced to be
someone he wasnt. Going through school, everyone began dating and
although he had doubts about his gender, his sexual orientation was never in
question. Its important to state that gender and sexual preference are two
completely separate things. He was heterosexual and has never been
attracted to guys. According to Dr Jo Olsen, gender refers to social,
psychological, and emotional traits that are influenced by society. Sexual
orientation is someones emotional or romantic feelings towards other
people.
Throughout his schooling years he became really involved in sports. He was
the MVP of football, basketball, and track. He used working out as an outlet.
It took his mind off his daily struggles while also proving his gender to
himself. There are some children who channel fear and frustration into a
redoubled effort to achieve impossible goals in what the world believes is
their gender, states Bach. He spent his days in the gym with his father
lifting weights and training. He then went on to the Olympics. Shattering
records, and winning gold medals, was just another way for him to cope with
what was really tearing him apart inside his entire life.

After achieving Olympic stardom, he remained in

the spotlight through commercials, endorsements,
and appearances, yet he still envied everyone who
was able to wake up and be comfortable with
themselves as he could not get there. His life was
stuck somewhere in the middle. He had nowhere to
go. Through marriages and divorces, Jenner has
always been under the public eye. He was so
concerned about telling his family and coming out
with this secret that is forced him to keep quite.
Then finally after 65 years, he couldnt hide
anymore. He couldnt think about the fact that he
might die after only living someone elses life.
He sat his family down first and tried to explain it
all. He says, Those are the only ones in my life I
cant let myself hurt. How do I do this and not hurt
my children? I tried to explain to them that, as
much of their upbringing was Her as well as Bruce. Thats not going to
change, Im not going anywhere.
After recent years of speculations by the public with Jenner gradually making
more noticeable changes to his appearance, he finally decided to set the
record straight in a very big way. He sat down for an interview with Diane
Sawyer.
Sawyer asked, Are you ready? Jenner responds, tearing up, Diane, Lets
do it. Its going to be tough. Ive been thinking about this day forever and
what I should do with my life. How do I tell my story? How do I tell people
what Ive been through? That day is today.
With a bit of hesitation and tremor in his voice, he builds up courage and
crushes all the speculations, Are you a woman, Sawyer asks. He replies,
Yes, for all intents and purposes, I am a woman.
Towards the end of the tell-all interview with Diane Sawyer, he breathes out a
sigh of relief as if he had held his breath for 65 years, Jenner says Im saying
goodbye to peoples perception of me. Ive got my health. Ive got my
children. Ive got family. I have seven grandkids now. Im actually really
excited about the future and what I can do.
Bruce Jenner has now liberated himself. He has decided to accept everything
at face value and to fight head on without fear with whatever comes next. He
is never going to hide himself again, he no longer feels like he has to.

To have such a global icon come out to the public about his past, the
struggles and his plans to transform into a woman, not only saved him from
himself but it has saved so many people around the world that are suffering
from the same issue. His extremely courageous act single-handedly brought
more awareness
to the
transgender
community than
any other
historical event.
The media
cannot get
enough of the
now Caitlyn
Jenner. Her
decision to come
out to the public
while clearly
knowing how
they could respond makes her an American hero but this time, in a different
way.