“Sometimes these girls that are in transition think that everything has to change – you can’t be conservative anymore, you have to be a liberal. No, I don’t believe that. I think I can keep all of my views the same because I feel in my heart that that’s the best way to go,” says a candid Caitlyn Jenner in the season two premiere of I Am Cait.
Transgender icon Caitlyn Jenner has come under fire recently for, at times, whether intentionally or not, misrepresenting or disregarding the real struggles of the transgender community. And while most of this stems from Jenner’s interest in conservative politics, some (like Jenny Boylan and Kate Bornstein, friends of Jenner’s who happen to be strong political activists and published gender theorists) say it’s time for Jenner to think more compassionately about the highly victimized trans community that she is now a part of, if not also a role model for.
In the latest season of her reality show, Jenner—along with some of her close friends—ventures out on a bus tour around the country to see how transgender people (whose net worth isn’t $100 million) live. But it’s clear from the onset that this is no easy journey. Jenner gets caught in a heated political debate during which a concerned friend pleads with her: “As a leader, you need to embrace the fight for women’s rights!” To which, Jenner replies, “But we’re $18.5 trillion in debt. Our economy is going to collapse!”
If this seems a bit dismissive of the plight of the trans community, it’s because it kind of is. And it isn’t the first time Jenner’s political views have elicited this kind of facepalm response. Like when the reality star voiced her puzzling views on same-sex marriage on The Ellen Show or suggested that she’d like to be the trans spokeswoman for Ted Cruz’s political campaign.
Jenner maintains that she’s a traditionalist. But that’s not sitting well with a lot of people and understandably so. What do you think about Jenner’s political views in light of her new transgender identity?