Six years ago, ESPN heralded Olympic hero Bruce Jenner’s decision to re-emerge as Caitlyn Jenner by awarding Jenner, then and perhaps now the world’s best known transgender person, with its ESPY Award for courage.
A year later Sports Illustrated put Jenner on its cover, which headlined a story about Jenner’s transition. At the time progressives were blown away by Jenner.
HollywoodLife.com, for instance, noted of that SI cover, “What a queen! Caitlyn Jenner looks incredible on the cover of ‘Sports Illustrated’ in a sparkling gold sequined jumpsuit, but the most standout accessory is the Olympic gold medal around her neck.”
Jenner arguably gave the transgender movement its momentum, which today has it rivaling Black Lives Matter for the attention and affection of left-wing activists.
But today, as Tony Soprano might say, fuhgeddaboudit.
Out in California, Jenner showed what real courage is by coming out as a Republican — and supporting Donald Trump for president.
Now, she’s running for governor as a GOP candidate as a recall push to boot Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom gathers steam.
And showing their true political colors, as hardcore feminists often do in similar situations, LGBTQ activists are not welcoming Jenner into the race.
In fact, it’s just the opposite.
On Friday, The Washington Times reported that Jenner’s “candidacy for California governor was greeted hostilely by one of the state’s largest LGBTQ-rights groups and by many trans activists around the country.”
“Make no mistake: we can’t wait to elect a #trans governor of California,” said the group Equality California in a tweet, according to the Times. “But @Caitlyn_Jenner spent years telling the #LGBTQ+ community to trust Donald Trump. We saw how that turned out. Now she wants us to trust her? Hard pass.”
The Times also quoted a tweet by trans activist Charlotte Clymer, who said, “Caitlyn Jenner is a deeply unqualified hack who doesn’t care about anyone but herself. Her views are terrible. She is a horrible candidate.”
The paper also noted that Jennifer Finney Boylan, a transgender writer, and professor at Barnard College, who considers Jenner a friend, also slammed Jenner’s gubernatorial bid.
“I wish her well personally,” Boylan told the Times. “But I can’t see how the conservative policies she is likely to embrace will help Californians.”
Boylan perhaps should have explained how Californians have benefitted under Newsom, as people flee the state in droves to get away from his tax, regulatory and COVID policies.
Nonetheless, the Times also pointed out that Wyatt Ronan of the Human Rights Campaign, perhaps the pre-eminent national LGBTQ-rights group, rejected Jenner, saying she “is not the leader California needs.”
“Her support of Donald Trump, the most virulent and vocal anti-LGBTQ president in American history, and her decision to hire Trump’s inner circle for her campaign are just two examples why,” he said.
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