She Is Cait, and I Am Not: Face to Face with Jenner
As the second season of I Am Cait approaches, Jenner reveals her goals for the future, which include becoming “trans ambassador” to President Ted Cruz.
Winding my way round deadmans curves at unsafe speeds all the way up a Malibu mountaintop to meet Caitlyn Jenner, I asked myself: who would live here except a recluse? Cut off from the rest of the world, high above it all, looking down from her own Mount Olympus, is there more than a metaphor at work here?
Or is she just a rich broad who likes her privacy and can afford to live above the clouds, and why not?
Yes, my journey is different than most people, Jenner tells me, as we begin our conversation discussing her docu-series on E!, I Am Cait, which returns for a second season on Sunday. To be honest with you, I don’t really talk to the media. This is very rare, Jenner reminds me early in our hour-long conversation in her fluffy white living room.
Caitlyn Jenners home is California contemporary meets Hearst Castle, even more incredible than it appears on television, and yet somehow extremely comfortable, feminine and luxuriously styled without being gauche or extravagant. Its chic, modern and has a view that I imagine is second only to heaven. Seeing this place on TV, no matter how big your screen is, just cant compare.
My goal for the past year has been to meet the woman who has been elevated by the mainstream media to the status of transgender icon, whether deserving or not many would say, not. To learn she knew who I was caught me off guard, because even though I may have a byline and achieved some notoriety a few years ago, I don’t consider myself famous. And I dont consider my transition to be anything like anyone elses, even though, like Jenner, I lived a double life for years. I was dishonest with my wife and myself about my needs, and I am what some people refer to as a late transitioner. Im 51 and didnt come out until I was 49. Jenner came out last year and is now 66 and looks fabulous. I’ve never felt more compelled to lose weight.
What I have learned in this community is every journey is different. No two stories are the same. Not even close, says Jenner, as she leaned in and looked me in the eye. I could feel her intensity sitting just three feet away.
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