Have we reached a tipping point for transgender acceptance?

It is all good! People are talking....This will over ride the push back we have had as of late from the haters trying to halt our progress that we made over the last couple of years. The timing was perfect!

Hi Vanessa,
It's nice hearing from you again. I've missed you.

I think his public declaration is a very good thing. True, he does have the advantage of already being a role model. But, declarations like his do help. Perhaps not immediately. Basically anything positive helps.

Bruce did beautifully as did Diane Sawyer. . . Refreshing and very encouraging. . .

ABC Television then showed yesterday the CNN special about Renee Richards . . . Wonderfully similar and sooo enlightening. . . The stories are both revealing of the true person who lives within their bodies . . . I'm pleased that I saw both. . .

I think the simple daily fact of our existence, as it's more and more prevalent and common, will eventually desensitize people to our phenomena, reaching a status of "normal". People simply need to see us enough to get used to us. *Any* transgender specimen contributes to this end, whether she-male prostitutes, drag queens on tv, or transsexual women co-workers. We don't need to express only a specific formula approved by the latest political agenda and powers that be, but rather all individuals in our full diverse splendor. We're too small a community to exclude whole groups of members that may make some uncomfortable. Too-highly specialized and homogenous lifeforms can suffer uncertainty or extinction; Nature loves variety.

I'm not sure about "tipping point", but I do think we're rapidly progressing closer to "background", and then we can relax and live our lives in relative safety. 🙂

I forgot to mention I think the "pushback" is almost entirely from groups with a political or religious agenda, on matter of principle (theirs). I haven't found this in everyday people I meet in the ordinary avenue of my life-experience.

I would say a long flat tipping point. Here in the south the prejudice is incredible. People get fired all the time. It may be the start of the tipping point, but we are not there yet. It is going to take a couple more decades, as I think we are that far behind the Gay issue.

Yes we are a long way from being free, Bruce is just a start here. We need to stand up for who we are. Thank you Bruce Jenner for the start. Maybe the south will someday open its eyes

Watching Bruce Jenner on TV was like letting my breath out. It was so good to see Bruce coming out as he did with the full support of his family. I also saw a man who was very nervous and really scared stiff! Poor guy! I contemplated transgender (MTF), but never could find the courage to take the long lonely trip. Go Bruce!!

Bruce Jenner typifies the saying *Grace under pressure*. What he did for any reason what reason is to my way of thinking bravery. Doing this quietly under the radar is NOT even an option for him. He is meeting this head on. Good luck Bruce and may your dream come to fruition.

Very brave of her to come out. This will give corouge to others. Un Undia, upper house has voted on transgender rights, which is a major step

I think Bruce Jenner has had alot of publicity/hype because he(she?) is a celebrity and doesnt truly reflect the average transgender person transitioning .I havent seen any really femme pics of him and he doesnt act very femme !Personally I feel envious of those whom begin the transitioning very young as the male body is more easily transformed than when one gets older . its even more difficult for a male athlete with all those muscles .i wish him the best of luck and hope to see a fully fledged trans emerge !!

Because he is such a public figure and feels the burden of his effect on so many more people than the average person i am sure that his coming out has been incredibly painful to him for such a terribly long time. He is a hero, once again, to put a public face to the situation so many people face and garner public understanding and sympathy for all transgenders. What the public does not understand it fears or ridicules.

I read a comment by a woman who identified as a Lesbian on a Fox News program who attempted to make a point about those who are transgender and who said that as a child she might have identified as a cocker spaniel or as one who could fly, but that did not change the fact that it was simply a fantasy as there was nothing physically different about a transgender person that would make it so. I wondered at her ignorance, especially coming from someone who should know that differences from the sexual norm, not to mention the gender norm, are not ever physically identifiable, rather they are of the soul. Ms. Jenner has captivated us all with her journey into that reality. I am so happy for Ms. Jenner and I look forward to her evolution. It would be great if she becomes a leader and a role model for us all, but no matter what, I hope she achieves what she desires.

It will be difficult. Conservatives will want to push us back into the dark ages as they lose the fight against gay marriage. Here in Texas they want to pass a law making it a felony sex offense for anyone with a Y chromosome to go into the women's restroom. Right wing bloggers say in capital letters things like "stay out of my daughters bathroom you criminal perverts!" I have read blogs from natural-born women who have been harassed trying to enter a public restroom because they aren't all pretty faced and were not wearing feminine clothing. I heard of one woman who was arrested by a mall security guard and now is suing them. It will probably take some arrests and court challenges to secure our rights. I just hope that some lecher somewhere does not try to take advantage of new freedoms to sneak in with a camera. There is always someone somewhere who ruins it for everyone else.