Dear Caitlyn Jenner,
Thanks for finally tuning in to the transphobic and disgusting things Donald Trump has been saying for the past two years. That was a nice video you posted about his actions to repeal protections for trans students under Title IX.
But I have to tell you something, as someone who identifies as genderqueer and who has been tirelessly trying to advocate for my trans brothers and sisters. From one trans person to another, you have been shamelessly used by this administration. And maybe you didn't realize it until now, but you seem to have let them. This election cycle, we saw what was called one of the most homophobic Republican platforms in years. Your own political party heartily endorsed the use of conversion therapy for LGBT+ youth, the dangers of which cannot be overstated.
Your ability to ignore this is indicative of your privilege as a wealthy, white woman. I grew up in rural Tennessee, where my friends and I could no more participate in GLSEN's Day of Silence in school without being abused by our classmates. If you are not aware of Day of Silence, I will explain. It is an initiative where for one day, allies of the LGBT+ community are asked to take a vow of silence for one day as a way of drawing attention to the silence that LGBT+ kids are forced into every single day. However, at my high school, it was called Day of Screaming, because kids would get into participants' faces, shouting abusive things, threats, and anything else to make us speak.
That's the kind of terror that the Trump administration has just allowed to continue. Your own silence in the face of bigotry this election cycle and in the past 2 months has effectively allowed these people to get away with this treatment against people who are more at risk than you. Maybe that will make it easier for you to understand the backlash you're now facing, because while you were treated like a guest of honor by this administration, the rest of us in the LGBT+ community have felt as though our lives were on the line.
When liberals and other LGBT+ activists spoke out, you were used as a scapegoat. After all, how could they be transphobic? They accepted one white, wealthy trans woman. They even said if Trump danced with you at the inauguration, it would silence outcry over their anti-LGBT policies.
Yes, you, Ms. Jenner, were used as propaganda. You ignored the warning signs of abuses towards people like you by the party you count yourself among, and that choice may have made you compliant in the human rights abuses of countless people who are less fortunate than you. It's time to check your privilege. Call me when you're ready to accept it.
