Despite Caitlyn Jenner’s debut, trans community still battling a bias

Caitlyn Jenner dominated the Internet last week, shattering records for Web mentions and new Twitter followers in a single day.

In the wake of the buzz, a good friend posted an article titled "10 Stories the Mainstream Media Ignored While Obsessing Over #CaitlynJenner."

Its premise was that the focus on her transition allowed stories about the Patriot Act, policy brutality, and Homeland Security to be buried. The piece mentioned that Jenner's public announcement was monumental for trans visibility, but the implication was that this revelation was comparably unimportant and also somehow responsible for the public's lack of interest in these other, more complex stories.

The reality is that we have the capacity to cheer this historic turn and also care about other issues at the same time.

A friend pointed out that when Beyonce drops a new album, we don't automatically bemoan the attention being pulled from climate-change issues. Well, some people do, actually; as though humans only have the capacity to attend to one thing … or that there is a singular news, science or political story that is more relevant than others.

While it was great that Jenner was getting her glam moment on the cover of Vanity Fair, other friends posted pieces on how as a wealthy, white celebrity who has resources that most trans women wouldn't dream of, her debut was really unrepresentative.

With the combo of posh living and access to renowned surgeons, Jenner's new look is being compared to beauties like actress Jessica Lange. But for the average trans woman, the funds required for obtaining basic medical care, much less aesthetic upkeep, are a pipe dream. That's even assuming someone wants to conform to the narrow definition of female attractiveness.

There are other important ways in which her transition is uncommon.

For example, very few states do anything to prevent job and housing discrimination on the basis of gender expression, which leads to disproportionately high rates of unemployment and homelessness among trans people. While Caitlyn Jenner is able to take in six figures for a single speaking event, trans women, on average, are four times as likely to live in poverty as the general population. And while she has been subject to plenty of public abuse, she's relatively safe from the in-person harassment and physical violence that plague many less affluent members of the trans community, especially those of color.

Many Americans don't know about the lack of insurance coverage for trans health care or the difficulty in locating a friendly medical provider. Add that to a laundry list of issues like homeless kids who turn to sex work for survival, the abuse of trans women in all-male prisons, disproportionate rates of HIV, the challenge of obtaining a government ID, and rampant mental health and substance abuse problems arising in response to bias.

Then over here we have an extremely wealthy and fairly media-savvy celebrity like Caitlyn Jenner pop onto our newsfeeds in a sexy white corset and it might seem like coming out as trans is just another attention-seeking stunt.

Rebecca Kling, a Chicago-based educator, performer and trans activist, says that while Jenner's story is unique, she's fully entitled to tell it.

The issue, Kling explains, is that no one person can be a perfect exemplar of a whole population. Like with other marginalized populations, there aren't enough representations in the mainstream to depict the diversity of experiences. So, Kling adds, "What I'd like to see is a trans movement that is broad enough that no one person is expected to stand in for everyone."

Kling remarked that any time a trans person makes the headlines, it brings visibility to the overall group. Talking about stylish, beautiful stars like Jenner, Laverne Cox, Carmen Carrera or Janet Mock provides an opportunity for news outlets to discuss more substantive issues. The challenge will be to sustain the attention of the American audience long enough before we're distracted by the next controversial (and possibly equally important) meme.

That task is on all of us.

Media outlets need to be deliberately informative by including real issues in fluffier news stories, like sneaking vegetables into the lasagna. Readers can widely share the articles that are more contemplative. In every day conversations, we can talk with those folks who aren't as informed, sharing what we've learned.

There will always be mindless distraction in the news and vital information that goes underreported while celeb gossip goes viral. Many critiques have been made of the Kardashian family's notoriety, arguing they're famous for no particular talent or contribution to the world. And that's a fair charge to level. But if their legacy is nothing besides expanding the platform on which Caitlyn Jenner drove a bulldozer through the wall of trans invisibility, then it might have been worth it.

Dr. Timaree Schmit earned her Ph.D. in Human Sexuality from Widener University, where she now trains future sexologists and clinicians. Her passion is bringing rational, empirically-based, sex-positive information to the world, empowering others to celebrate their bodies, build intimacy and experience pleasure. 

She has an award-winning podcast, "Sex with Timaree", and hosts a BYOB sex ed, comedy/game show "DTF: Darryl and Timaree Fun Hour" which can be seen every second Friday at the Philly Improv Theater (2030 Sansom St.)