Today's News, Tomorrow's Lesson - Bruce Jenner Comes Out as Transgender

Bruce Jenner has been in the news because in a recent interview on ABC’s “20/20” news program, he* came out as transgender. More than 16.8 million people tuned in to hear his story. Jenner’s fame spans several generations: He was an Olympic athlete in the 1970s and won the gold medal in the decathlon in 1976; he’s been in several television programs; and he’s also known by many people because of his marriage to Kris Kardashian Jenner and his participation on the reality show, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” for eight seasons. Now that Jenner has told his story, he has become the most famous openly transgender person in America.

As a country, we have engaged in discussions and actions on LGBTQ issues for several decades, and progress has been made. However, the “T” in the acronym LGBTQ has received much less attention until very recently. Moreover, transgender people continue to face higher rates of bullying, discrimination, ridicule, harassment, violence and even murder. Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey reports the following about discrimination and other challenges faced by transgender people:

• 78 percent of transgender and gender nonconforming K-12 students reported harassment, 35 percent experienced physical assault, and 12 percent reported sexual violence;
• 47 percent said they experienced a negative job outcome such as being fired, not hired or denied a promotion because of being transgender or gender nonconforming;
• 19 percent reported having been refused a home or apartment, and 11 percent reported being evicted because of their gender identity;
• 53 percent reported being verbally harassed or disrespected in a public accommodation, including hotels, restaurants, buses, airports and government agencies;
• Only 21 percent of those who transitioned gender have been able to update all of their IDs and records with their new gender; and
• 43 percent maintained most of their family bonds, but 57 percent experienced significant family rejection.

Research indicates that heterosexual people who have gay and lesbian friends and family members have more positive attitudes toward gay and lesbian individuals and related issues, such as marriage equality. If it is true that knowing someone gay or lesbian has contributed to the personal and political progress our country has made, that should hold true for transgender awareness also. Perhaps Bruce Jenner’s decision to come out, as many less famous people have before him, will be the tipping point for moving toward reversing this bias and discrimination for transgender people.

* Jenner stated in the interview that, at this time, he prefers to be called Bruce and use male pronouns.