This is so AH-Mazing!
Caitlyn Jenner continues to impress us through all that she’s trying to accomplish!
Earlier this year, the 65-year-old Olympian went through a very public transition, and has spoken out several times about how she wants to be a voice for the transgender community.
[ Related: Caitlyn Wears A Swimsuit For The Very First Time On I Am Cait! ]
Even after winning the ESPYS Arthur Ashe Award for Courage she hasn’t slowed down! Along with her docuseries I Am Cait, the reality star has an on-going blog that she writes called The Real Me which she uses to help explore various issues and people in the LGBT community!
This week, she gives the spotlight to her friend Blossom Brown to talk about her struggles growing up and transitioning, and being the first woman to graduate from the Mississipppi University for Women!
Blossom tells her story (below) saying:
“Hi everyone! Blossom here. Caitlyn, thank you for this platform. I love your energy and personality.
When I was I was young, I always figured something was a little different about me. I remember telling my music teacher when she’d call roll that my name was “Brittany” instead of my government name. In kindergarten, I was taking crayons and coloring my nails red. I’m the oldest child out of four children, and sometimes I would play with my sisters’ dolls and dress up in my mother’s things when she wasn’t around … different things like that.
That said, I had no idea who I was. Throughout middle school and high school, I was dating women and men. I could put on boy clothes and try to fit in with the gay community, but I always felt like something was always off about me. I really wasn’t happy with myself. When I was 19 or 20 I started researching, trying to figure out why I still had these feelings after so long. It kind of hit me, “Hey, you might be trans.”
When I first started transitioning, I didn’t know what it was like to be trans. I didn’t know about hormones or how to dress as a woman. I had to do a lot of researching on my own. At first, I was doing it in the nighttime because my parents weren’t receptive of my transitioning and I didn’t want to get kicked out of the house.
When I moved out of the house, things finally started to come together for me. I was finally able to go to work dressed as a woman (even though when they hired me I was still coming to work dressed as a boy because of the whole parents situation).
During my studies I was a huge nursing fanatic and I started applying for nursing school. I did my undergrad ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ my two years at the community college ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ and I was convinced I would get accepted. But after the first time, I didn’t get in. I thought maybe I needed to boost my GPA, so I did that and tried again. The next time, I tried for two different nursing programs and still didn’t get in. I kept applying and applying, up until about the sixth time and still nothing.
I never got an explanation. It kind of dawned on me that the most likely reason is because I’m trans. I started publicly transitioning the year I applied to nursing school, and I think that negatively affected the school’s decision.
At that point, I had finished community college so I transferred to Mississippi University for Women for my last two years of college and decided to major in public health, which is what I’m finishing now. Hopefully when I’m done with my public health major, I’ll finally be able to get into nursing school.
I want to go into public health nursing and focus my work on the LGBT community general. I feel like we’re the ones that need the most help ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ especially the transgender community. I’m a trans health advocate and I want to develop resources and mentorships for them.
First and foremost, we need to reduce the number of murders of transgender women of color. There is not one day where I don’t wake up, get dressed and think that I might be a target. Transgender women of color are misgendered in the media all the time. Plus, the media often makes it seem like we deserve to be murdered. Supposedly we “aren’t being honest about who we are” ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ when in reality, we are most likely being punished for being who we are and by telling our truths. The ultimate price of this is being murdered. I hope that these murders can be reduced. It’s very sad.
For those of you in the transgender community who are having problems with acceptance, never lose hope or give up on your dreams. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We all have major setbacks, but they are only setups for a major comeback. We deserve to be here, just like everyone else. Never cheat yourself out of this world because people refuse to accept you. Continue to live your truth, embrace yourself and keep your head held high. We are beautiful, smart and outgoing people, and we will survive! We are in this together! I love you all!”
This is a fantastic use of Caitlyn’s fame to promote an incredible cause! Keep it up Cait!
[Image via Twitter/TNYF/WENN.]
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