Caitlyn Jenner’s learning and so are we
The Show: I Am Cait, Season 2, Episode 2 The Moment: The “tranny” debate
Caitlyn Jenner and half a dozen friends are travelling across the U.S. in a luxury bus. Among them are the writers Jenny Boylan and Kate Bornstein.
“I don’t call myself a woman, I call myself a tranny,” Kate volunteers as the miles roll by. “Transgender women have a lot of problems with that.”
“I would be one of them,” Jenny says. “I find that word hurtful. For me it’s like saying the F-word to a gay man or the N-word to a person of colour.”
I haven’t seen Season 1 but, as a recap points out, serious divisions exist within (and outside) the transgender community about whether the hoopla around Caitlyn has done more harm than good. So this season, the producers are doubling down on their efforts to educate America. It’s fascinating to see where Caitlyn — who, as one friend points out, “spent 65 years as a Republican man,” and of whom another remarks, “her inner life hasn’t caught up to her outward appearance” — ends up here: as the foil of her own show. Sure, she’s one of the most recognizable trans people in the world. But because her fame and wealth have isolated her from many of the hardships trans people endure, she’s also just one more bigoted, ignorant American who needs to be educated. On the positive side, that wipes out any notion of “us vs. them.” Suddenly, everyone is “us.” That alone won’t solve the varied conflicts Caitlyn kicks up. But it’s an interesting start. I Am Cait airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on E! Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She appears Monday through Thursday.