Reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner claimed in an address this week to the British Parliament that President Donald Trump has set the transgender community in the U.S. “back 20 years.”
Despite the fact that Jenner is a registered Republican and early supporter of Trump and endorsed his 2016 presidential bid, the former Olympian used the speech at the House of Commons to urge the UK not to “go down the same road” as America.
In the speech, part of Channel 4’s annual diversity lecture, Jenner also called London one of “most culturally diverse city in the world.”
In addition to heaping praise on London’s cultural diversity, Jenner also described the early stages of transitioning:
When I came out the first year was very good, everything was going along great and then all of a sudden I became this person of privilege. I didn’t ‘get it’ when it came to the trans community, we have a very marginalized community and I didn’t get it and I got so much of this for so long. I will never apologize for everything I’ve been able to do because I’ve worked very hard and I’m not going to apologize for working hard and being successful. But what that does is gives me a sense of privilege but it also gives me a platform.
I always suggest to every trans person out there, everybody has a platform that they can utilize to make it just a little bit better for the next generation coming up.
According to Deadline, “Jenner’s comments come after the move to feature her in the lecture was criticized by a number of people. RuPaul’s Drag Race star Carmen Carrera said that Jenner’s ‘number one mission was to be the Mother Theresa of this community,’ while transgender comedian Shon Faye said Jenner’s life story is ‘far removed from what British politicians need to be hearing and considering on this issue.'”
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