Caitlyn Jenner: The New Normal

While the world obsesses over the very public transition of Bruce Jenner into Caitlyn Jenner, now is the time to sit back and reflect on how far we've come. In the past century we've made amazing progress both socially and technologically. While in many areas of the world the LGBTQ community is still kept in hiding for fear of retribution, the western world seems to have come around to accepting these differences as normal, although not without controversy.

"Selfish"

Many have criticized Bruce's transition as being "selfish." While his daughter Kylie (17) seems to have dropped out of high school and is involved in an illegal relationship with the rapper Tyga (25), Bruce is sitting down with Diane Sawyer. While I initially also took this stance, I must admit that when it comes to celebrity children, keeping them away from a heroin addiction is about as good as it gets. In addition, Kylie has a lucrative modelling contract, a line of merchandise and recently purchased a $2 million dollar estate for herself. And let's face it - she has yet to put out a sex tape. And while Bruce may have struggled to be a parent in the past, perhaps this transition will enable him to engage more meaningfully with his kids. Not to mention becoming a role model for some of the most marginalized members of society.

"Potential Net Worth of 500 Million"

Perhaps the most noteworthy development to come out of all of this is that Caitlyn Jenner could become worth a half a billion dollars over the next 10 years, thanks to her new found identity. It's estimated that between a potential cover girl contract with M.A.C. Cosmetics, book and interview deals and speaking engagements, Ms. Jenner could become the richest of all the Kardashian/Jenner family. 

"More Important Things Going on in the World"

"The New Normal"

While for the most part public reception of Bruce's transition has been positive, many consider it to be little more than celebrity worship. While Nepal struggles to get back on it's feet, drone strikes and terrorist plots continue to plague many parts of the world and people are dying, we talk of nothing but Caitlyn Jenner. There is a very simple reason why we should be defending Caitlyn's spotlight: social change is important, and has lasting effects for generations to come. Never have we had such a high profile celebrity go through their transition in such a public way. While we may be used to the idea of transgendered people, that doesn't mean we've completely accepted them. There are some frightening statistics that suggest that transgendered people have a far lower life expectancy than average, and that LGBTQ teenagers are more likely to end up homeless due to a lack of acceptance on the part of their family and community. In light of these fact, Caitlyn's upcoming reality show may be a golden opportunity to shed light on the struggles of a community that continue to be persecuted around the world.