Op-ed: Bruce Jenner Helps Us Stand Taller in Our Truth

It’s heartbreaking to think that Bruce Jenner — world famous Olympian, father of 10 children and a member of one of the most famous & adored families in the world — would wake up every day for nearly his entire life and feel alone. He’s not alone.

The biggest takeaway from Bruce Jenner’s life-changing interview with Diane Sawyer is that the announcement, the revelation of his “true self” — it all happened on his time and on his terms. We’ve seen in the tabloids for months, even years, stories and rumors regarding Bruce’s gender identity and although he denied it until now — that’s perfectly fine.

A big part of identity is acceptance. For some, it’s easy to identify and accept who you are from the moment you’re born. For others, it takes time and a great deal of soul searching.

I cried through the majority of the interview because I personally related to a lot of the feelings he expressed: growing up confused, lonely, afraid, not fitting in, being “stuck here in the middle” — there are infinite parallels.

The majority of Americans are still learning about what it means to be transgender. For Bruce to share his truth on national television is phenomenal and has inspired me to walk even taller in my truth. The key to understanding is education, and the only way we’ll get educated on these issues is if people, like Bruce, are brave enough to share their stories.

There’s no one way to be “transgender,” just as there’s no one way to be a man or a woman. A trans individual’s journey is as unique as his or her personality.

And let’s be clear, Bruce Jenner isn’t the first high-profile trans person to tell their story, but by Bruce standing in his truth he made it so that another person won’t have to wait until they’re 65 to fully embrace who they were born to be.

B. SCOTT is a celebrity personality, advice columnist, activist and entrepreneur, best known for his number 1 entertainment website: lovebscott.com. Reach B. Scott on Twitter at @lovebscott.