Caitlyn Jenner Supporting Donald Trump On Inauguration Day 2017 Has ‘Open-Minded’ Progressives Showing Their True Intolerance [Opinion]

Caitlyn Jenner supporting Donald Trump on Inauguration Day 2017 has “open-minded” progressives showcasing their true intolerance to the world, as two well-known publications recently published opinion pieces lamenting and criticizing Jenner’s decision, as if they know anything about why she chooses to support the incoming president.

The Daily Beast and Cosmopolitan are two publications that responded negatively to Caitlyn Jenner’s intention to support President-elect Trump on Inauguration Day 2017 on January 20.

The Daily Beast

“Dear Caitlyn Jenner, Don’t Go To President Trump’s Inauguration,” was published on Thursday and penned by Samantha Allen. In the subheading to the article, Allen writes that Jenner “will be betraying her fellow LGBTs” if she follows through on attending Inauguration Day 2017.

As it turns out, Samantha is herself a transgender woman, but she does not speak for all of the LGBT community. Take for instance Blaire White, a millennial right-wing male-to-female transgender who has her own YouTube channel and has a huge following. I have a hunch she would not agree with Samantha.

Allen goes on to say that Caitlyn will not be able to fit in with the attendees of Inauguration Day, saying it’s “not a party for women like us.”

Then, because no anti-Trump piece would be complete without it, Allen trashes Breitbart and its coverage of Jenner’s Inauguration Day 2017 planned attendance, while at the same time informing Caitlyn that it’s best if she doesn’t visit the Breitbart article herself due to its “hatred,” “anti-trans slurs,” and “transphobic myths.”

Just a side note here, but Caitlyn Jenner has been in the public eye for decades. Not only that, but she went through an ultra-sensitive, personal, life-changing transformation under the closeful watch of the press, so I’m pretty certain she can handle a Breitbart article. And the fact that Samantha insinuates she can’t is, well, insulting.

“These [Breitbart] are the people who got Trump this far and there’s no reason to expect they’ll show you any kindness in return for your tacit display of support.”

Actually, I’m pretty sure Americans are the people who propelled Donald Trump into the White House and not the writers and editors of a right-wing news publication. By insinuating that the two are one in the same, Allen is further insulting Jenner because she alleges that all Trump voters read Breitbart (which she views as filth) and by all accounts, Caitlyn most likely voted for Trump, therefore she must also read filth.

Speaking of Breitbart, they have a well-known gay conservative editor. His name is Milo Yiannopoulos. Maybe Samantha has heard of him.

The Daily Beast writer then calls out Trump for flip-flopping his stance on the controversial topic of transgender bathrooms, claiming the president-elect “sold you [Caitlyn] out in exchange for people who hate us.”

I agree that right-wingers are far less tolerant of transgender bathrooms and transgender people in general. However, to say that Republicans, including Trump, hate transgenders is just plain ignorant. If anyone is proof of that, it’s Caitlyn Jenner herself.

I believe Samantha largely mistakes misunderstanding of transgenderism with anti-transgenderism and hatred of transgenders. All of her arguments that point to Donald Trump and his incoming cabinet being transphobic stem mostly from religious beliefs and the belief that transgender people suffer from a mental disorder. While it’s completely understandable for Allen to criticize these people based on her values and beliefs, she is no more tolerant of what they stand for than they are of what she stands for.

Allen insults Jenner yet again by suggesting Caitlyn wishes to “punish” herself if she decides to be a part of Trump’s presidential policies. I’m wondering why she doesn’t view Jenner favoring Trump as a inkling of hope in her mess of worries. Caitlyn by Trump’s side would be a positive thing for the LGBT community, wouldn’t it? I would think something like that would shine a light through the miserable outlook Allen has of the Trump presidency.

Cosmopolitan

“Caitlyn Jenner’s Attendance At The Inauguration Would Be Unforgivable” was published on Wednesday by Eliza Thompson, who in the subheading writes that it’s impossible to promote transgender rights and stand behind Donald Trump.

I, of course, find that ridiculous. Who is Thompson to say what lies in a person’s heart? Is it not discriminatory to claim a person cannot have certain beliefs based solely on their gender identity and/or sexual orientation?

Isn’t that the definition of “discrimination”?

It’s obvious that Eliza is appreciative of the positive changes Caitlyn Jenner has made for the transgender community, though she’s quick to call the former Olympian out on her privilege, because even as a transgender person, Jenner was able to avoid a great deal of the darker aspects that come with being transgendered.

Thompson’s praise of Caitlyn stops cold when Donald Trump is brought up, calling her intention of being present on and showing support for the president-elect on Inauguration Day 2017 “an unconscionable step in the wrong direction.”

Thompson points out several anti-LGBT policies that Trump plans on implementing once he takes office, most of which center around an individual American’s feelings towards transgender people. For example, whether or not a pastor should be able to refuse to marry a gay couple or not.

Eliza also brings up her concern about marriage equality, despite Trump personally stating that he has no intentions to overturn or otherwise change the law that Obama put into place. She’s worried his Supreme Court picks in that regard.

It seems to me that both Thompson and Allen feel the need to inform Caitlyn of the potential struggles the LGBT community faces under a Trump administration, so why they are trying to warn Jenner away from Donald is beyond me. Wouldn’t a transgender ally, in this case Jenner, planting herself close to the president of the United States be something they would encourage? Instead they’re begging her to steer clear. Is it because they themselves are intolerant of those with right-wing values?

Have these two women suffered brutal discrimination from Trump supporters? Unfortunately, only they can answer that question. If not, are they basing these beliefs on what they hear via the news and the hearsay of what others have heard from those same outlets? This would seem more likely, as neither writer claimed to be a victim of a hate crime and both cited outside sources to support their stances.

I’m not saying their sources are bogus, but I am not someone who believes whatever I read, especially if it’s from the mainstream media, who have done nothing but target and lie about Donald Trump ever since announcing his run for president.

The Washington Post, The Guardian, and most recently, Buzzfeed have been caught spreading fake news, so I have more than a couple reasons to doubt these organizations.

Back to Eliza Thompson’s article, in it she states that, “Transgender people are unemployed at twice the rate of the general population, they’re four times more likely to live in poverty, and 1 in 5 has experienced housing discrimination on the basis of their gender identity.”

This is something that definitely needs to be fixed, but the president-elect has little, if anything, to do with these statistics, and it brings me back to my point of why not allow Caitlyn Jenner to assist Donald Trump in these endeavors? If they, or anyone else thinks he won’t help because he’s “Republican,” they may want to take a look in the mirror because they are the ones discriminating.

Caitlyn Jenner supporting Donald Trump at Inauguration Day 2017 could be the beginning of an open and honest discussion of LGBT rights between the U.S. government and the citizens it serves. Obama started the conversation and there’s no reason Trump should end it. Give the man a chance. That’s all I ask.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]