Caitlyn Jenner Speaks To LGBT Youth At Her First Public Appearance

Caitlyn Jenner utilized her first live public appearance as a teachable moment. As reported by The New Zealand Herald and other news outlets, Jenner spoke at the LGBT Youth Center in Los Angeles on June 11. During a two-hour visit, she met with teens and young adults and spoke about her transition from Bruce to Caitlyn. She also toured the facility.

E! Online indicated that Jenner’s appearance was met with enthusiasm by people at the center.

“They were really excited to meet her,” a source told E! Online. “Caitlyn was really friendly and even referenced Miley Cyrus’ [previous] visit to the Center. She also brought some clothes for them.”

Jenner is apparently becoming more comfortable in the public eye seeing has how she has reportedly inked a deal for a new reality show with E!, the same network that carries Keeping Up With the Kardashians. As previously reported by Inquistr, Jenner will receive at least $5 million for the forthcoming television series I Am Cait.

Jenner also stepped out with some transgender friends earlier in the week, sharing a scene from their outing on Instagram.

https://instagram.com/p/3msK5hRjN7/?taken-by=caitlynjenner

Despite all of the accolades for Jenner, she faces tough questions regarding her involvement in a fatal wreck that occurred in February. CNN reports Jenner is now named in two civil suits stemming from the car accident that killed a 69-year-old woman named Kim Howe. One lawsuit was filed by the stepchildren of Ms. Howe and the most recent suit was filed by another driver who was involved in the incident. A total of five children and two adults were hospitalized with injuries from the accident.

Michael Daly of The Daily Beast recently penned an article in which he expressed blunt criticism towards Caitlyn Jenner regarding how her public transformation has eclipsed the gravity of the accident.

“By outward appearances, Caitlyn seems to have already found herself not guilty,” Daly said of Jenner. “She pronounced the collision a great tragedy immediately after the incident but seemed to portray herself as blameless … What was most remarkable about that Vanity Fair cover was not what you saw, but what you did not see.”

Caitlyn Jenner has indeed chosen to avoid commenting on the accident or the pending civil suits in detail for the time being. Whether by her own volition or through decree of the courts, she will eventually come to reckon with the accident that claimed the life of Ms. Howe. Mr. Daly’s critique notwithstanding, Jenner’s decision to reach out to young people who are struggling with the same issues she has faced in life suggests a general awareness that her conduct and example have a profound impact upon the lives of others. In fact, the young people who met with Caitlyn Jenner at the LGBT Youth Center can readily attest to this.

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]