Bruce Jenner in many ways symbolizes what has occurred to the image of the American male the last few decades. Once an iconic symbol of the all American jock, Jenner has become a a joke by transforming into a woman.
Whether or not Olympic legend Bruce Jenner becomes its new champion, the transgender-rights movement is making remarkable strides on many fronts — ranging from mass-media visibility to legal protections. Yet despite the gains, activists say many transgender Americans, far more so than gays and lesbians, remain vulnerable to violence, discrimination and lack of understanding.
“We see transgender rights as the next wave of the work we need to do, after marriage equality,” said Katherine Franke, director of Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Law.
“Getting protections on paper is important,” she said. “But the day-to-day lives of many transgender people won’t be affected — they’re unemployed, they’re experiencing violence in the streets, in shelters, in schools.”
[….]
His mother, Esther Jenner, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she had spoken with her son about his private and public journey.
“He said, ‘I want to be honest about my identity, and I know this is coming out in the press,'” Esther Jenner said. “He started by saying, ‘We need to have a long, serious talk.’ I am at peace with what he is and what he’s doing.”
[….]
Depending on how Jenner’s story is presented and received, the revelation that a lauded athlete and member of one of the nation’s most visible families is transgender could be comparable to the cultural shifts that accompanied the news that movie star Rock Hudson was gay and died of AIDS-related complications and that basketball great Magic Johnson, a heterosexual, was HIV-positive.
Bruce Jenner’s transformation corresponds to what has occurred to the image of the American male. Once portrayed as as masculine and strong, the image is now that of a hipster wuss. like pajama boy.
Bruce Jenner mirrors the decline and fall of the American male. Once a strong jock, now transformed into a woman.
This is just sad.
