Bruce Jenner- Going Public With Transgender Journey ‘Heroic,’ Gossiping About Gender Identity ‘A Dangerous Game’

Bruce Jenner is ready to speak about the changes he is undergoing and will be doing so via ABC News when the 65-year-old is to join in a chat with notable journalist, Ms. Diane Sawyer.

Speculation has been circulating around Jenner for a number of months since US Weekly reported that he was in the middle of a “transition from male to female.” Rumors and gossip began to swirl ever since, yet the former Olympic decathlon champion has not spoken on the matter as of yet.

However, in addition to joining Sawyer for a candid interview, the Washington Post reports that Jenner has indicated he has a docu-series planned for E! which is the same network that broadcasts his family for their reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The Sawyer interview is expected to air later this spring with the date of the E! docu-series remaining a mystery for now.

Bruce Jenner, who has been married three times and has fathered six children, including two with current wife Kris Jenner, is now in the process of divorcing for a third time.

When a source close to the Jenner clan reported to People that “Bruce Jenner has decided to come out as transgender and will soon be living life as female,” many viewed it as just another ridiculous Kardashian stunt to be scoffed at. However, contributor Robert Silverman of The Daily Beast points out that Bruce’s willingness to come forward is an act of heroism, just as much as his determination at the Olympics was deemed heroic.

“[I]f you can’t see the difference between the faux-drama of Kim or Khloe’s latest romantic dalliances and the bravery required of Jenner to make this incredibly difficult personal journey public, knowing that he’ll be both a tabloid punchline and the subject of serious prejudice, you aren’t paying attention. This, too, is heroic.”

Bruce Jenner’s Kardashian-adjacent status does not make this difficult journey a new subject for ridicule. Bruce reportedly has the support of his family, including his mother who gave a statement about her view on the issue of her son’s gender identity.

“Right now I am more proud of him for what he’s allowing himself to do. I am more proud of him now than when he stood on that podium and put the gold medal around his neck. He deserves all the respect.”

Parker Marie Molloy of Slate Magazine also sheds light on how incredibly harrowing the experience is when coming out as transgender and that by the public gossiping about Bruce’s admission, they are reducing something that is extremely serious, pertinent and even painful for the individual to a joke.

” [W]hen you whisper about someone’s gender identity, you’re turning their life—right down to the core of their existence—into a joke, into gossip. The ramifications of feeding the rumor mill extend far beyond [Bruce Jenner] and the Kardashians and reality show raitings. Gossiping about someone’s gender identity sends a message to the thousands—or even millions—of people trying to come to terms with their self-conception: You are a freak; you are inherently scandalous.”

Parker Marie Malloy is a freelance journalist and activist who sends a strong and clear message and perhaps encourages the masses to separate Bruce Jenner’s recent disclosure from the rest of the Kardashian crew’s antics.

[Feature image via Grantland]