California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner, who is transgender, came out against trans athletes in school sports. It instantly became fodder for the left and right to dunk on each other.
Summary
TMZ caught up with California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner, who transitioned from male to female several years ago, and got Jennerâs take on transgender participation in high school and collegiate sports.
- Jenner told the gossip outlet that she is against the participation of âbiological boys who are trans competing in girlsâ sports in schoolâ, saying it is a matter of fairness.
- Jennerâs candidacy has been under the spotlight even before it began, with Politico reporting on Jennerâs spotty voting record before the announcement, then saying the campaign was âsilentâ since the announcement, quoting several âexpertsâ concerned Jennerâs candidacy is less like former Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose campaign rollout was more extensive and policy-oriented.
- Jennerâs comments on transgender sports participation have not been widely reported in the least biased news outlets but retired NFL star and former murder suspect OJ Simpson took to Twitter recently to discuss transgender athletes, citing an incident in which he was upset Caitlyn Jenner played a golf tournament from the ladiesâ tees.
- Before Jenner was cornered by TMZ, Voxâs most recent write-up of Jennerâs candidacy focused on the LGBTQ communityâs resistance to it, citing personal anecdotes of the author and Jennerâs refusal to become a liberal after transitioning as chronicled in the reality television show I Am Cait, arguing Jenner not being a âone-issue voterâ means sheâs tacitly endorsing âanti-trans attacksâ from the Republican Party. Authorâs note â Anyone politically to the right of Bill Maher would think this Vox piece was a Woke Mad Libs written for outrage rather than laughs.
- Newsweek covered the positive reaction from former Trump officials purportedly connected to Jennerâs campaign as well as condemnations from folks like professional woke activist Charlotte Clymer while casting skepticism on the necessity of efforts in multiple state legislatures to prevent biological males from participating in girlsâ sports.
- A reporter for Forbes who âreports on the fight for transgender equality and other LGBTQ issuesâ called out Jenner for siding âwith her Republican baseâ and criticizing her for âgetting what she apparently craves: attention.â
- Fox Newsâ framing of the story is a mirror opposite of Newsweekâs, providing more sympathetic reporting to states passing legislation barring transgender athletic participation and viewing activistsâ motives skepitically.
- RedState used the news as an opportunity to call out liberals and Democrats outraged that Jenner wonât toe the line on identity politics, also noting polling that suggests a majority of Americans agree with Jennerâs position.
- The Daily Callerâs reporting focused solely on the news of Jennerâs policy position, not on the aftermath and flame throwing of the culture warriorsâ reactions.
© Dallas Gerber, 2021