Caitlyn Jenner hasn’t always been praised for her stance as an LGBT icon and that’s mainly because of her conservative stance on social issues, which led her to come under fire from Ellen DeGeneres and others in the LGBT community last week when she revealed that she wasn’t always a supporter of same-sex marriage. Now, Jenner is clarifying her statement and explaining why she now fully supports marriage equality.
As previously reported, Jenner appeared on “Ellen” this month and explained, “I remember 15 years ago, 20 years ago – whenever it was when the whole gay marriage issue came up – at first I was not for it. I’m older than most people in the audience. I kind of like tradition and it’s always been a man and a woman. And I’m thinking I don’t quite get it. But as time has gone on, I think like a lot of people on this issue have really changed their thinking here too, I don’t ever want to stand in front of anybody’s happiness. That’s not my job.”
However, Jenner released a blog post yesterday revealing that she’s learned over the past four months how important it is for gay and lesbian people to be able to marry.
“Like many people, there was a time when I didn’t realize how important it is for gay couples to have the right to get married. But after hearing from my gay friends and learning more about the hardships they faced because of discrimination, it became clear to me that everyone should be able to marry the person they love. I can only hope that by sharing my story, there’s someone out there whose mind has been changed about trans people,” Jenner wrote.
“Because regardless of whether you are transgender or not, we all have stuff to deal with in our lives,” she continued. “To have the courage to overcome obstacles and be your authentic self is an amazing process to go through. I want you to believe in yourself and know that you can deal with it. You can be okay.”
Clearly, Jenner has mentally evolved since her transition and the world has been watching her grow and stumble over the past four months. Thankfully, it seems like she’s growing into a person who is open to understanding the lives of others as well as the inequalities that affect her life and her community.
