Prominent transgender advocate, celebrity, and former Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner published an op-ed in the Washington Post on Thursday stating she was “wrong” about President Trump and her previous position that he could be a positive asset for the LGBTQ community.
Jenner began by saying that the first two years of the Trump presidency have given her plenty of time and experience to truly reflect on the sentiments she first held during her “highly publicized and glamorized early Caitlyn days” and she believes there are many challenges still facing the LGBTQ community.
Jenner writes that she did indeed receive strong waves of criticism from some members of the LGBTQ community and their allies when she first spoke out in support of Trump’s potential to be of help to them, but that she offered that support because she truly believed “he would stand up for the LGBTQ community”. She referenced his claims to support the community in their endeavors during the 2016 election cycle and said she believed she could work within the party to affect more change for the better, all with the backing of the President.
Now, however, after what Jenner views as President Trump’s “relentless attacks” on the trans community through policies including military bans, harsh gender identification processes, and other administration-led changes that could walk back protection for over 1 million people, she is not convinced he’s helping at all. Jenner poignantly addressed her personal feelings on this saying,
Sadly, I was wrong. The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president. The leader of our nation has shown no regard for an already marginalized and struggling community. He has ignored our humanity. He has insulted our dignity. He has made trans people into political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party, claiming his anti-transgender policies are meant to “protect the country.” This is politics at its worst. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, and it has deeply, personally hurt me.