When Caitlyn Jenner came out as transgender and appeared on the front cover of Vanity Fair - it was a moment. One that put transgender lives into the mainstream, onto the map.
It sparked a hopeful wave of content that asked curious questions, about trans lives. Unfortunately, this warm summer of content soon turned cold.
So it matters when Jenner, a notorious conservative, pulls up the ladder behind her.
When she came out she helped start a conversation. One that in the UK, and across the world, has turned from gentle curiosity to a growing undercurrent of hate, bursting out towards transgender people.
And as Jennifer Stavros argues in The Independent, we must also remember, Jenner has all kinds of privileges. But specifically, she has what most trans women can only dream to obtain: mainstream acceptance and support for her identity. She's also been incredibly lucky to be able to afford the expensive gender-affirming surgeries she's had.
This week Caitlyn Jenner said, she supports the Texas abortion ban. But despite lots of right-wing comments from the Olympian over the years–it still felt like a surprising twist in an already bemusing tale.
So why has she made these comments?
First of all, let's clear up what she said. She believes the ban is wrong, but she supports it anyway:
‘Now do I agree with the decision or not? No. To be honest with you, I actually probably do not agree with the decision. But I agree that they have the right to make their own decision.’ - Caitlyn Jenner
And what does it comes down to? The Olympic champion is currently campaigning to become Governor of California. As a Republican candidate.
You won't be surprised to read that her campaign has been dogged by issues too. - LGBTQ Nation
They have all in all left her essentially funding her own campaign after donor problems. - Forbes
So to answer the question, why these comments and why now? You need only ask what kind of divisive comments appeals to the Republican base in the US? It's certainly not smashing the patriarchy.
Earlier in the summer, she was polling around 6%. As this week ends, it's only 1%. - Consequence
Looks like divisive comments designed to divide us, aren't always the answer after all.
This article was just one part of our weekly newsletter that summarises, understands and explains the news of the week:
I started QueerAF to fund queer media careers.
Behind the scenes, we are supporting underrepresented emerging creatives to kickstart their career.
This, while we build a community-centred platform that works for our community, not advertisers.
Do you support new queer voices who can go on to change the media?
