“Call Me Caitlyn”: Bruce Jenner No More
By Lawrence Andrew Fernandez
During his heyday, the individual formerly known as Bruce Jenner ran free against the opposition to win the gold medal in the decathlon during the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Now, she ran free to reach the finish line of her true identity.
In the recent cover of Vanity Fair magazine, Jenner revealed her new identity and new name. Bruce Jenner is a thing of the past. Caitlyn Jenner is now. The cover photo was taken by renowned photographer Anne Leibovitz while the accompanying story was written by “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger.
After the cover has made its rounds all over the Internet, Jenner debuted her Twitter account which gained one million followers in less than four hours. Guinness has declared this as the new world record, snatching the title from US President Barack Obama’s POTUS account. In one of her first tweets, Jenner said “I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can’t wait for you to get to know her/me.”
In an interview with Diane Sawyer on the US television show 20/20, Jenner admitted that she started having hormone replacement therapy in the 1980’s but stopped after meeting Kris Kardashian. Now, the former “he” is now a “she” and has gained the support of her step-daughters Kourtney, Khloe, and Kim Kardashian. Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Caitlyn’s daughters with Kris, also showed their approval through various social media posts.
Because of her empowering transition, Caitlyn Jenner is set to receive the Arthur Ashe Award at the 2015 ESPYS on the 15th of July in Los Angeles. The award, named after tennis legend and HIV/AIDS victim Ashe, is given to those ‘possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost.’ Past recipients of the award include Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali.
After winning Olympic gold, Jenner has parlayed her popularity into an acting career, an auto-racing career, and a number of successful businesses. In other news, the E! Network will air an eight-part special on Jenner’s transition starting July 26. E! is also the home of the family’s reality show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
