Journal #3- Current Event Response

Gabriela Fernandez

UH3

Gender & Literature

May 1st 2015

Current Event- Response

A few weeks ago, Bruce Jenner, the decathlon athlete and now part of the Kardashian clan, announced to the world that he has always wanted to be a woman. This came as a great shock and surprise to me and many other people because no one expected it. He was a strong masculine figure in the Olympics, raised many children throughout different marriages and never seemed to show any interest in being a woman. The interview with Diane Sawyer, Bruce talked about how he always felt he was different, he said “It’s not that I’m trying to dress up like a woman. It’s that I’ve spent my whole life dressing as a man…” (MTV). Bruce had to hide who he felt he was his whole life because he was afraid people would not accept him for it. Our society is still trying to accept those who do not fall into the standard lines. This reminded me of Cal a little bit. Cal grew up being a girl, expecting girl parts to develop during puberty and whatnot, but at some point in the book Callie discovers who she is and it changes her because when she is older she becomes a man. When Cal dates Julie he mentions that they had not made love yet but also that he wonders what and how she would react if he told her his situation. I think that sexuality and gender is something that people are still trying to figure out these days. It is still very controversial to many people but is also something that people don’t discuss enough to feel comfortable. Cal is obviously aware that Julie would be taken back and surprised if he told her about his situation. Many people are unaware of how everyone see themselves and their gender and sexual preference. It’s important to educate people and make awareness that there are different people out there that shouldn’t be afraid to express and be who they are or want to be.

Works Cited

Ford, Zach. "How Not To Talk About Bruce Jenner." ThinkProgress How Not To Talk About Bruce Jenner Comments. Think Progress, 29 Apr. 2015. Web. 01 May 2015.

"The 13 Most Powerful Quotes From Bruce Jenner's Emotional Interview."News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2015.