Caitlyn Jenner came out as a transgender woman in 2015, instantly making her the most famous and recognizable member of the trans community.
The former Olympic champion triggered a lot of people with her new reality (and reality show, I Am Cait), but it’s Caitlyn’s lack of support for her fellow transgender women and other trans activists that’s become her most defining trait.
Jenner, who now contributes to Fox News, has remained a staunch Republican over the last eight years, yet she’s never received full acceptance from her chosen family.
Caitlyn’s run for Governor of California in September 2021 failed spectacularly after the GOP’s attempt to recall Democrat Gavin Newsom bombed.
Since then, Jenner has never been able to pick a lane, literally.
She could be using her voice to rise above the noise MAGA is making about drag queens and trans influencers, but her Twitter posts show her allegiance is with the GOP, not the LGBTQ+ community.
Sadly, Jenner only seems to care about herself when it comes to advocating for the trans community. The disconnect is concerning, considering the GOP is currently trying very hard to negate her existence.
Anti-trans bills are being introduced in Red States across the country which would not only prevent transgender athletes from participating in sports, but they would also potentially subject them to “genital inspections.”
This is fine with Jenner, who has a history of inserting herself into stories about other transgender women who have nothing to do with her, like social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Jenner said she was “furious” with Nike over its new endorsement deal with Dylan, saying the sneaker giant is going “so woke” (hard cringe) by signing her over real Olympic athletes.
Speaking of the Olympics, Jenner has also aligned herself with transphobic swimmer Riley Gaines, who claimed she was “punched twice” during a protest by trans activists at San Francisco State University after she participated in a talk on saving women’s rights last week.
Gaines openly supports banning anyone assigned as male at birth from competing in women’s sports once they’ve transitioned, a terrible take which Jenner also supports.
It’s interesting to watch Caitlyn navigate this, especially when her own attempts at breaking into professional women’s golf were met with skepticism in 2016.
That was the year Jenner played in the women’s Pro-Am ANA Inspiration golf tournament at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
A story from the New York Daily News at the time sniped, “Caitlyn is somewhat new to women’s golf, but that doesn’t make her an amateur. Prior to transitioning into a woman, Jenner had been an avid golfer for the past 15 years.”
Claws out, sis!
Maybe Caitlyn is still carrying that veiled acknowledgment of her Olympic records when she competed as a male decathlete?
That might be one explanation as to why she’ll dive dangerously into the shallow end and nearly deadname herself in her attempts to justify her loyalty.
That doesn’t sit well with other visible trans women who are out there every day trying to teach the truth about what it truly means to be transgender.
Trans activist/actress/singer Plastic Martyr challenged Caitlyn’s anti-trans comments on Twitter, where the two women have been beefing over Jenner’s lack of allegiance to her trans sisters.
Dear @Caitlyn_Jenner …
If you see trans women as "biological boys" & continuously misgender other trans women, what do you truly see yourself as? What pronouns should we use when referring to you? Because clearly you don't identify as a woman. pic.twitter.com/mVVzP6KVgK— Plastic Martyr 🏳️⚧️ (@plasticmartyr) April 8, 2023
Caitlyn’s quote-tweet is just jaw-dropping. “I have never claimed to be a biological woman,” she replied. “That would be factually incorrect.”
But it gets worse. “I am trans – and biologically male,” the tweet continues. “I am using my platform to be a voice of reason, an advocate for fairness, a trans example, and not force my thoughts, beliefs, or identity on anyone.”
Guess how well that went over?
“Give me a break sister,” Plastic Martyr replied on Monday morning. “You damn well know how hurtful & degrading it is to be misgendered.”
Caitlyn, give me a break sister. You damn well know how hurtful & degrading it is to be misgendered. The "work" you are doing is setting us all back (including yourself) & you're absolutely forcing your conservative anti-Trans beliefs onto others. Are you really that clueless? https://t.co/DFfyDC21ty
— Plastic Martyr 🏳️⚧️ (@plasticmartyr) April 10, 2023
Speaking exclusively with me on Monday, Plastic Martyr didn’t hold back when asked about Caitlyn.
“Caitlyn has this bizarre identification with the aggressor thing going on,” Plastic Martyr said. “She’s always had conservative views, but clearly, those views have become more extreme and more centered around anti-Trans rhetoric.”
“I feel like she believes that by aligning her views with the very people trying to erase her that they will somehow spare her in the end,” Plastic Martyr continued. “The Trans community calls her ‘Trans Judas’ and it’s the perfect name for her.”
“She has stabbed us in the back repeatedly and it’s getting out of hand now. It’s become dangerous.”
As the transgender community continues to be scapegoated by a GOP who wants to erase them, it’s more important than ever to be an ally.
This transphobic Trumper just banned all gender-affirming care for transgender kids in Idaho because he's a hateful subhuman piece of shit
I bet Brad has a special hiding place for his gay porn, but I'm happy to wait for him to deny it#TransIsBeautiful #TransAlly https://t.co/NcWNH1BmDs
— Tara Dublin ((isn’t paying for this)) (@taradublinrocks) April 5, 2023
*THIS IS AN OPINION COLUMN THAT SOLELY REPRESENTS THE OPINIONS OF TARA DUBLIN. HOORAY FOR THE FREE PRESS!*
Other hot takes by Tara Dublin can be found on TikTok and Twitter @taradublinrocks.
