Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 25 april 2017
Caitlyn Jenner talks of suicide, secrets in new book

LEANNE ITALIE thoughts of many in the
Associated Press trans community, she uses
NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlyn her former name, Bruce,
Jenner opened up Mon- in the book, “The Secrets
day about her frank new of My Life,” out this week.
memoir detailing her now And, yes, she describes her
2-year-old transition and liberating, below-the-belt
the bumps along the way, gender reassignment sur-
including her three failed gery — “The Final Surgery”
marriages, thoughts of sui- as she calls it — on the
cide while she was relent- very last page, insisting it’s
lessly pursued by paparaz- the last word for her about
zi, and, finally, freedom to that.
be her true self. And yes, she takes on,
And, yes, contrary to the briefly, her conservative

Caitlyn Jenner poses for a portrait on Monday, April 24, 2017, in New York to promote her memoir,
“The Secrets of My Life.”
Associated Press

political views when it out on everything,” the tinued living as a man.
comes to President Donald 67-year-old Jenner told There was one moment
Trump and issues like less The Associated Press of the in particular, years later,
government, but not so on book. “What I was trying to that took Jenner to the ul-
issues important to the LG- accomplish is, one, get it all timate dark place, suicide.
BTQ community as a whole, out for myself, so there was The celebrity news site TMZ
such as same-sex marriage. no other secrets left, but distributed a photo of a
“Yeah, I’ve gotten criti- two, it was the way I dealt disheveled Jenner emerg-
cized because I come from with my stuff.” ing from a doctor’s office
a more conservative Re- The book, co-written by Buzz after a procedure to have
publican side, but my loy- Bissinger (he wrote the Van- her trachea shaved so she
alties are not with the Re- ity Fair story), has already could appear more like a
publican Party. My loyalties brought on bitter, hurt tears woman.
are not with Donald Trump. from Jenner’s third wife, Kris This was before Diane Saw-
I’m not a one-issue voter. I Jenner, whose closet Cait- yer and her formal coming
believe in limited govern- lyn once regularly raided as out, and it felt like a painful,
ment. I like lower taxes. I she stole moments to cross forced outing.
like a thriving economy. I dress while struggling with “It got to the point where
like everybody working, but her gender identity. They I thought, you know what,
my loyalties are with my are moments, Caitlyn said, I know the easy way out,”
community and to make it that Kris was well aware of Jenner said. “I got a gun
better,” Jenner said. “The before “I made love to her” in the house. ... But then
Republican Party has very after the two met in 1990. the next day I thought,
disappointed me over the “To be honest with you I wouldn’t that be the stupid-
years.” haven’t even talked to her est thing you’ve ever done,
Why go to any of these about it,” Jenner said of to silence your voice? You
places to begin with Kris’ reaction to the book. have the opportunity here
months after her formal There were many dark to really make a difference,
coming out interview with times for the Olympic gold- to live your life honestly.”
Diana Sawyer on ABC, medal winning decathlete Jenner has spent much of
watched by 17.1 million as he went about hiding his the last two years learning
viewers, then on the cover gender struggles, including from the trans community
of Vanity Fair, and finally a false start in transitioning from a vantage point of
her now-canceled reality in the 1980s. white, wealthy privilege
show on E! Entertainment, Jenner took hormones, that she fully acknowledg-
“I Am Cait,” where she then balked at that time, es in the book, and trying
went on the road with fel- but her enlarged breasts to make amends with her
low members of the trans did not disappear after the huge family, including six
community. treatments stopped, requir- children and four Kardashi-
“I needed to pour my heart ing liposuction as she con- an stepchildren.q