The media’s outpouring of positive headlines regarding Bruce ‘Caitlyn’ Jenner’s transition into a woman continued on the June 2 edition of The Rundown. Host Jose Diaz-Balart interviewed transgender activist Michael Silverman on the subject, and they both lauded her physical appearance. Toward the end of the conversation, Balart went over the top, using Jenner’s transition to voice his concerns about tolerance:
You know Michael, I mean, I think all of us, and I include myself probably at the top of the list, are learning every day. We’re learning about life every day and about our fellow human beings every day and about things we do or say that we don't know may hurt other people. I think it's important to step back and think about what we say and how we act and how it can have an impact on everybody.
Earlier in the conversation, Silverman commented that Jenner looked “positively unburdened and absolutely radiant,” to which Diaz-Balart agreed. The host also promoted an MSNBC online poll about their reaction to Jenner transitioning into a woman. He declared that the results were “overwhelmingly positive.”
When Diaz-Balart asked what we could learn from Jenner, Silverman responded by making the case that, really, we’re all like Jenner because we all just want to be ourselves:
I think one of the most important things to do is to keep talking about the issues. Caitlyn has spoken in such a heartfelt way about the struggle just to be herself. I think, you know, I'm not surprised that the reaction from people has been overwhelmingly positive. People can relate to what it means to just try to be yourself.
The media’s incredibly biased reaction to Jenner’s transition doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.
The relevant portion of the transcript is below.
MSNBC
The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart
June 2, 2015
9:45 a.m. EasternJOSE DIAZ-BALART, host: Caitlyn Jenner’s debut to the world has everyone talking and it's blowing up Twitter by breaking a world record. Jenner gained 4 million followers, 1 million in just a couple of hours, beating the previous record holder, President Obama, by an hour. Caitlyn tweeted, quote, ‘[A]nother Jenner world record, and at 65, who’da thought? Humbled and honored to have reached 1 million followers in four hours. Thank you for your support.’ Caitlyn launched her Twitter account at the same time as her Vanity Fair cover was released, showing the person we previously knew as Bruce Jenner as a transgender woman for the first time. And before her reveal, she described her emotional evolution, saying, quote, [T]he uncomfortableness of being me never leaves all day long. I'm not doing this to be interesting. I'm doing this
to live.’ We bring in the executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Michael Silverman. Michael, always good see you. How are you?
MICHAEL SILVERMAN: Thank you so much for having me back. I'm doing well.
DIAZ-BALART: Thanks. Let me get your reaction first, Michael, to Caitlyn Jenner’s cover on Vanity Fair.
SILVERMAN: Congratulations to Caitlyn. How remarkable, she looked positively raidiant. I use that word in the most literal sense. In the video that accompanied the cover, Caitlyn spoke so movingly about the struggle, the secret she felt she had to keep for so many years. And you know, it shines through in the photo. She looks positively unburdened and absolutely radiant.
DIAZ-BALART: I agree with you. Caitlyn Jenner is gonna go through this process in the spotlight, I mean, let's all remember this Wheaties box after Jenner won the gold medal at the Olympics. Now, she’s on the cover of Vanity Fair. Michael, the fact she's gone through this transformation in such a public way, what kind of impact do you think this is having on the transgender movement?
SILVERMAN: I think it’s having an impact on the whole country and it's incredible. Last year we had the phenomenal Laverne Cox on the cover of Time Magazine and now we have another major media moment with Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair. It’s opening a dialogue with people about the struggles and challenges the transgender people face that we haven't had before. Caitlyn Jenner is a celebrity, of course, and she is shining a spotlight on the day to day challenges people face. Your average transgender person struggles in a lot of ways just to do simple things like get health care because they face insurance discrimination, or to get a job because they face employment discrimination. So I think we’re starting to see a lot of public interest in the unique challenges that transgender people face and that's a great thing.
DIAZ-BALART: Yeah, and Michael, I don't know if you've been able to see this, but I certainly have right now as we’ve been chatting, our question today, do you think Caitlyn has been helping the transgender community? And the response from the folks that are kind enough to watch us has been overwhelmingly positive, yes they do think it has been a positive, and, you know, helping the transgender community. But you know what, this is a very public person. There are so many people in the transgender community that you just talked about that are not having a very easy time of their lives. What is it that we can learn from Caitlyn and how to deal with people who may be, from our perspective, we're not used to dealing with?
SILVERMAN: I think one of the most important things to do is to keep talking about the issues. Caitlyn has spoken in such a heartfelt way about the struggle just to be herself. I think, you know, I'm not surprised that the reaction from people has been overwhelmingly positive. People can relate to what it means to just try to be yourself. I think, as long as we continue these kind of discussions, as long the media continues to have a respectful interest in the lives of transgender people and the struggles and challenges that they face, we'll see more transgender people coming out, we’re going to hear more and more stories like Caitlyn's, like Laverne's, like all the incredible transgender people out there. And that's going to move the needle on transgender rights in this country.
DIAZ-BALART: You know Michael, I mean, I think all of us, and I include myself probably at the top of the list, are learning every day. We’re learning about life every day and about our fellow human beings every day and about things we do or say that we don't know may hurt other people. I think it's important to step back and think about what we say and how we act and how it can have an impact on everybody.
