Caitlyn Jenner: ‘He’ Or ‘She’? Media Conflicted Over Correct Pronoun Use
Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce, made her controversial debut on the cover of Vanity Fair last Monday. On the cover, Caitlyn boldly announced, “Call me Caitlyn.” However, not everyone is complying with her request. There are still some members of the media who insist on referring to her as a “he.”
Following Caitlyn’s debut, the Blaze published a write-up bashing her announcement. In an op-ed column entitled “Calling Bruce Jenner a Woman Is an Insult to Women,” Matt Walsh cautioned parents to protect their children from the “disturbing image” of Caitlyn in Vanity Fair.
Why @Caitlyn_Jenner chose @VanityFair for her debut http://t.co/CORfYZBdNS By @frankpallotta #CallMeCaitlyn pic.twitter.com/WxhiUoPHDy
— CNNMoney (@CNNMoney) June 1, 2015
He wrote, “Parents, be aware. Soon the magazine rack in the checkout line at the supermarket will feature this profoundly disturbing image of Bruce Jenner.”
Walsh further attacked Caitlyn’s cover as he questioned why Vanity Fair “dolled up” the former Olympian in its Annie Leibovitz photo shoot. He asserted that the magazine wanted to make a 65-year-old grandfather look like a young, college girl but they failed. Instead, through Caitlyn, they created a distorted version of neither.
He continued, “What he most closely resembles is a mentally disordered man who is being manipulated by disingenuous liberals and self-obsessed gay activists.”
The Daily Caller also joined the bandwagon as their writer Patrick Howley mocked Caitlyn’s gender transition. The website dubbed her as “the Greatest Female Athlete of All Time.”
Recalling Caitlyn’s success in the Olympics, Howley wrote, “Jenner is the only woman in Olympic history to finish a full decathlon, boldly breaking down barriers at the 1976 Montreal Games by defeating male athlete Guido Kartschmer of West Germany. In scoring a then-world record, 8,616 points in the event, Caitlyn proved that one woman can set a new standard for ALL of the 31 different gender classifications.”
Meanwhile, the Associated Press chose to respect Caitlyn’s request although they initially made a mistake. In their official Twitter account, the AP posted, “Bruce Jenner makes his debut as a transgender woman in a va-va-voom cover for the July issue of Vanity Fair.” Realizing their error, the AP later deleted their tweet.
Likewise, the advocacy group GLAAD also supported Caitlyn by recirculating the guidelines for referring to transgender individuals. The guidelines urged to use female pronouns such as she, her and hers when referring to Caitlyn.
Caitlyn’s public journey has given both the media and Americans the opportunity to learn about transgender issues for the first time.
[Image credit: Vanity Fair Magazine]
