As previously documented, Caitlyn Jenner was nearly named Time Magazine Person of the Year.
She finished seventh in a vote that ended up giving the honor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Due to her significant year, however, Caitlyn was still featured in an interview with the publication… and now she’s here to apologize for something she said in that interview.
At one point in the article, Jenner noted that her appearance remains important to her, adding that folks are still uncomfortable if a transgender person looks like a “man in a dress.”
I think I caused a lot of hurt with this comment, and I’m truly sorry, Caitlyn wrote on her official blog this week.
Jenner titled this blog entry “So Much to Learn,” admitting just that as an overriding theme to her message: she still has a lot to learn about being a transgender role model.
“What I was trying to say is that our world really is still a binary one, and that people who look ‘visibly transgender’ sometimes can struggle for acceptance and may be treated poorly by others,” she explained of her comment.
“And while this may be true, it’s also something that needs to change.”
Caitlyn, who has been at the center of plenty of controversies in 2015, went on to sound a more welcoming tone.
“Some people look gender non-conforming because they want to look that way – they don’t want to conform to society’s expectations. Those people have every right to look and present exactly as they choose,” she wrote.
“And then there are other people who don’t have the resources to access the medical procedures that would help them look the way they would like to look. Procedures, incidentally, that most health insurance plans refuse to cover.
“All of these people are my brothers and my sisters, and I am fighting alongside them, too.”
Among other criticisms of her, Jenner has faced backlash for being a wealthy transgender person.
Yes, it’s still a struggle for her, some critics argue.
But she can’t paint herself as representative of the LGBT cause because, as she mentions above, she can afford to look a certain way and can afford to take other steps in her transition if so desired.
Concluded Caitlyn:
“My comments probably made it seem like all I care about is fashion, or makeup, or appearance. I can tell you I really enjoy all of that – it’s who I am. It’s the world I come from, and as a person in the media I have certain expectations for myself.
“But I am only one person. There are a lot of ways of being trans. And I want to help create a world in which people are able to express their gender in any way that is true and authentic for them.
“And most importantly – a world in which how a trans person is treated isn’t dependent on how they look.”
