Caitlyn Jenner admitted she was wrong when she believed President Donald Trump would be an ally for the LGBTQ community.
In an op-ed published Thursday by The Washington Post, the reality TV personality criticized Trump’s administration after a leaked memo showed they are considering legally defining gender based on the genitalia a person is born with and stating it can’t be changed later in life.
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The memo was met with series backlash earlier this week, as a decision like that would roll back decades of progress in civil rights protections for transgender individuals.
“These past two years under President Trump have given me the opportunity to reflect on a lot of topics that have come up in the LGBTQ community and in our nation,” Jenner wrote in the column. “As I’ve watched and pondered, my outlook has changed significantly from what it was during my highly publicized and glamorized early Caitlyn days, when my life as an out trans woman was just beginning.”
As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Jenner publicly supported Trump during the 2016 election and in 2017, revealing she had voted for him. In 2015, the reality TV personality came out publicly as transgender and announced her name change from Bruce to Caitlyn.
“Since then, I have learned and continue to learn about the obstacles our community faces, the politics that surround us and the places my voice can help,” Jenner continued. “I have reflected on what my unique position of privilege means and how I can best use it to make a positive difference.”
Jenner said in the column that she felt the Republican party could be reaching a moment of change after Trump claimed support of the LGBTQ community during the 2016 Republican National Convention.
“Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to claim to support this valuable, vulnerable community, and I was encouraged by the applause he received…”
Jenner added: “The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president. The leader of our nation has shown no regard for an already marginalized and struggling community. He has ignored our humanity. He has insulted our dignity. He has made trans people into political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party, claiming his anti-transgender policies are meant to ‘protect the country.’ This is politics at its worst.”
Caitlyn ended the essay stating her mission to continue educating people on LGBTQ issues.
“I must continue to educate political and corporate leaders about the issues of homelessness, job discrimination, violence, access to health care, prejudice in housing, depression, suicide and so many other issues that disproportionately affect our long-ignored community,” she wrote. “I will still work with anyone who is committed to help our community. The world needs to hear us. The world needs to know us. We will not be erased.”
