Not a long diary, but I thought it would be good to point fellow Kossacks to the new Vanity Fair cover with Caitlyn Jenner, 1976 Decathalon Gold Medalist.
Caitlyn Jenner on the Cover of Vanity Fair
The cover is by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz and, although clearly photoshopped (clearly cis and trans women get equal treatment there), shows to me something that I felt the first time I saw Chaz Bono on a talk show - this is the real person who was hiding behind societal expectations all that time.
Follow me below the squiggle for some additional thoughts.
I am no fan of reality television and have been frankly appalled as to how the Kardashian family got famous, and that the country has this fascination with them. I have seen mere moments of their show, enough to know I didn't want to be around these people. However, I happened to be in a hotel room Memorial Day weekend, with limited channel options, and caught part of the special on Jenner's transition. I ended up watching both parts when it re-aired later that day. It was absolutely compelling television. Apparently when the Kardashians have real issues and problems - not the scripted crap they normally wallow in - they can be quite mature and reasonable people.
As someone who was in denial about his sexuality for decades, and didn't come out until 33 years of age, I completely understand the relief that comes with no longer keeping secrets. It was amazing to realize this entire family had been keeping at least part of this big secret for years (I don't think the family realized Jenner was trans) and seeing how they dealt with the news of the transition was actually moving. I urge anyone who doesn't like the Kardashians to give that special a viewing.