"I'm not doing this to be interesting. I'm doing this to live."

Photo via Vanity Fair

Today is the day we finally meet Caitlyn Jenner (kinda surprised she didn't go for "Kaitlyn" but then again I guess part of this whole transition is to escape the klutches of the Kardashians). She looks radiant, glamorous, confident in her skin. Sure, this photo is probably heavily 'shopped but name one cover photo of a single celebrity between the ages of 6 and 60 that isn't. I've been following this story ever since, well, since Keeping Up with the Kardashians first aired. Yes, I'm one of 'those people' partially responsible for keeping them famous and on the air. I can't defend anything they do from an intellectual standpoint, all I can really say is that my pop culture diet is rich and varied--I like a little bit of junk food just as much as I like a fine dining experience. Part of the appeal is just now inane, how mind-numbingly self absorbed these people are. It's like watching what happens to someone when they absolutely lose all sense of self. A crude experiment. If we were given all that money and fame and paid handsomely to sip frappucinos and ruminate on the merits of laser butt lifts, would we be turn out any better? Maybe not.

But with Caitlyn's transition the story gains a deeper layer--yes these people are ridiculous but they're still people and now they're dealing with something very very real. I can't imagine what it must be like to live every day in the wrong body. And I also can't imagine what it would be like to have a parent transition. It resonates with me very deeply when I hear Khloe say that she feels like Bruce has died. Sure, it's the same person inside, but the person who raised you, who you called "dad" now has the face of a beautiful woman in her 60s. What kind of a mind fuck is that?

To the people who call this a publicity stunt, that's a little bit of a stretch, isn't it? I mean, irreversible gender transition is kind of beyond the pale, even for this family, as a means of securing tabloid space. Regardless of motivation, being open about her transition might even have an altruistic bent. Caitlyn's story is going to help lots of people struggling with similar issues. Hell, it might even save a life or two. And that's no joke.