+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy

caitlyn jenner

Democracy

You can be against Caitlyn Jenner's run for governor — just don't be transphobic about it

Web Summit/Wikimedia Commons

Former star Olympic athlete and reality TV personality Caitlyn Jenner has officially announced her candidacy for governor of California, in anticipation of a potential recall election of current governor Gavin Newsom.

In a post on Twitter, Jenner wrote, "I'm in! California is worth fighting for," and shared a link to her campaign website.

Jenner is both a long-time Republican and a transgender woman who has described herself as a fiscal conservative and social liberal. She came out as trans in 2015, received considerable backlash from the LGBTQ+ community for supporting President Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and ended up revoking her support over his transgender rights policies in 2018.

"California has been my home for nearly 50 years," she wrote in a press release. "I came here because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality. But for the past decade, we have seen the glimmer of the Golden State reduced by one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people. Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision."

Jenner is the fourth Republican to announce their candidacy, and they all have an uphill climb ahead of them. Despite opponents gathering more signatures than the 1.5 million necessary to initiate a recall election, a recent poll found that 56% of likely voters in California oppose recalling Newsom, and only 40% say they would vote to recall him. In addition, his approval rating hovers around 54%.

Support for Jenner is also a big question mark, as the Republican party isn't exactly known for supporting the rights of the transgender community of which she is a part.

Former-Trump-voter-turned-Biden-supporter David Weismann wrote to Jenner, "I am a former Republican who does not understand your decision to run for Governor, especially as a Republican. Republicans do not acknowledge the transgender community's right to exist. Why support their hateful agenda?"

Transgender activist Charlotte Clymer was more blunt. "Caitlyn Jenner has no real support," she wrote on Twitter. "I don't care about her candidacy. I do care about the ways in which her asinine views will be weaponized against trans people and the ways in which transphobia will go unchecked."

"This is purely a vanity campaign," she added, "and it's incredibly selfish."

Clymer was also quick to point out, however, that Jenner's problematic features are her views and her lack of qualifications, not her gender. Misgendering her or engaging in other transphobic language is not an appropriate response to her candidacy announcement.

If nothing else, Jenner's candidacy offers a good opportunity to talk about how to appropriately discuss transgender people using language that affirms their humanity, even if you can't stand their political stances or personalities.

Also a bit of a head scratcher: Jenner has hired former Trump campaign manager Bard Parscale as an adviser, which would seemingly create a connection between Jenner and Trump, despite Jenner renouncing her support and Trump pivoting further away from supporting transgender rights.

While Jenner is a historic candidate, as a transgender woman running for the governorship of one of the largest states in the country, the majority of responses show that the much-ranted-about concept of "identity politics" is largely overblown. After searching and searching, I found virtually no explicit support for Jenner on social media. She has not garnered the support of the broader LGBTQ+ community (in fact, California's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization literally said, "hard pass") and it's difficult to imagine a party that is currently pushing anti-trans legislation in states across the country rallying behind a transgender candidate.

Jenner's candidacy is newsworthy because of her fame and noteworthy because she is transgender, but at this point, simple name recognition probably outweighs both her gender identity and her policies in terms of gaining voters. Time will tell, but if this campaign gets off the ground, it will be a surprise.

Stranger things have happened, though. As recent history has taught us, just about anything at all is possible. But whatever happens, and wherever we sit on the political spectrum, let's keep criticisms of Jenner confined to her political views and not her personhood.

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
LGBTQ
More

Out magazine just put Obama on its cover. It's a historic moment.

President Obama has, yet again, made history.

Every year, iconic LGBT publication Out magazine honors 100 people who've helped fight for progress.

The list is called the Out100, and lots of people pay attention to who makes the cut.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Out magazine.

While each year brings its own unique batch of change-makers from various walks of life, 2015 was one of truly historic proportion.

For the first time ever, a U.S. president was photographed for an LGBT publication.

President Obama, named Ally of the Year, graces the cover of this year's Out100 issue.

The magazine explained its decision to honor the president by highlighting a range of his accomplishments — from repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to becoming the first American president to publicly push for marriage equality.

"Yes, there's work to be done — we are still waiting for Congress to pass comprehensive federal LGBT protections, for a start — but whichever way you look at it, this president and his administration have ushered extraordinary change into the lives of LGBT Americans. For someone who at first seemed coy, even awkward, on the subject, President Obama's evolution on marriage equality has been something to behold."
— Out magazine


In the issue, Obama touches on several points regarding his administration's push for equality.

But one of the most compelling? He speaks on how his daughters have influenced his own views.

"The next generation is spurring change not just for future generations, but for my generation, too," the president says when asked about older Americans' reluctance to embrace LGBT equality.

"To Malia and Sasha and their friends, discrimination in any form against anyone doesn't make sense. It doesn't dawn on them that friends who are gay or friends' parents who are same-sex couples should be treated differently than anyone else. That's powerful. My sense is that a lot of parents across the country aren't going to want to sit around the dinner table and try to justify to their kids why a gay teacher or a transgender best friend isn't quite as equal as someone else."
— President Obama

Although the president's inclusion in the Out100 made this year's list particularly historic, many other trailblazers are certainly worth mentioning.

Like Carrie Brownstein, star and co-creator of the TV series "Portlandia," who was named Artist of the Year.


And athlete and reality star Caitlyn Jenner, who was crowned Newsmaker of the Year.


There were several lesser-known but equally instrumental folks who made the list, too.

Like model, YouTuber, and trans activist Aydian Ethan Dowling, whose efforts to grace the cover a men's health magazine became an inspiration to many. He's also a vocal advocate for prioritizing transgender-related health care.


“It's important that we get doctors and mental health workers educated on the transgender experience," Dowling says. “I hope the visibility of my story impacts that in a positive way."

Two of the leading activists behind Black Lives Matter, Deray Mckesson and Alicia Garza, also made the Out100, showing just how consequential the movement against racial injustice has been thus far.

Mckesson speaks at the GLAAD Gala in San Francisco. Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for GLAAD.

“The best moments are when black people stop me in the street and share with me the impact that [Black Lives Matter] has had on their lives and on their faith that another world is actually possible," Garza told Out.

And British pop sensation Olly Alexander, whose music doesn't shy away from featuring his sexuality, was honored as Breakout of the Year.


“I love performing music," he told Out. “You get to construct your own personal slice of reality, be whoever you want to be. You don't have to worry about whether you're saying or doing the right thing."

If one thing's clear about 2015's Out100 list, it's that LGBT equality has gone mainstream.

Like, the White House is lit up like a rainbow mainstream.

Whether you're talking about Washington, D.C., your television screen, or the streets of St. Louis where protests for justice unfold, this year's Out100 list proves that LGBT people — and those who support them — are making a profound difference in this world.

Trending Stories