Bruce
Jenner has revealed that he identifies as a woman - his 'true self' and
a childhood dream - in an explosive ABC interview with Diane Sawyer.
The
65-year-old Olympic gold medalist and reality TV star sparked rumors
about his gender identity last year after visibly altering his
appearance.
And
last night, he confirmed that he is reinventing himself physically in a
bid to transition from male to female in the highly-anticipated,
intimate sit-down.
Speaking
in front of millions of viewers, including Kim Kardashian and her
family, Bruce tearfully revealed: 'For all intents and purposes, I am a
woman.
'My
brain is much more female than it is male. That's what my soul is.
Bruce lives a lie. She is not a lie.' He firmly added: 'I can't do it
anymore.'
During
the interview, Bruce also admitted that he has been regularly taking
female hormones - and plans to completely transform into a woman.
But
he said he was still attracted to females. 'I was never attracted to
the guys,' he told Diane, explaining how he has always enjoyed a good
sex life.
Jenner
added: 'I am not gay.I am, as far as I know, heterosexual. As far as I
know, I've never been with a guy. I've always been married, raising
kids.'
And
he denied that his revelations were for publicity purposes. Instead, he
made them due to his inability to continue to 'pull the curtain', he
said.
Indeed,
hiding his identity was so painful for Bruce that it once left him
contemplating suicide to escape from the never-ending scrutiny, he
revealed.
Many
viewers and celebrities were taking to social media last night to
congratulate Bruce on making a giant leap for the transgender community.
Lady Gaga tweeted: '#BruceJennerABC Now that is bravery', before
telling her fans to 'empower people like Bruce' globally by 'being
loving & not mean'.
Meanwhile,
Bruce's 17-year-old daughter, Kylie Jenner, tweeted an emotional
message to her father. 'Understandingly, this has been very hard for me.
You will hear what I have to say when I'm ready to but this isn't about
me. I'm so proud of you, Dad. You are so brave. My beautiful Hero,' she
wrote.
However, other users expressed concern that Bruce's TV appearance has simply made transgenderism into a spectacle.
At
the start of last night's program, titled 'Bruce Jenner: The
Interview', Diane asked Bruce: 'Are you ready?', to which he replied: 'I
am, let's do it.'
The
star continued: 'You know what... it's going to be tough. I've been
thinking about this day forever and what I should do with my life. How
do I tell my story, how do I tell people what i've been through? And
that day is today.' He then asked Diane for a tissue and used it to wipe
his tear-filled eyes.
Clutching
the tissue, Bruce remarked: 'We have to keep our sense of humor about
this. Me of all people - Bruce Jenner - has to deal with these issues.'
Seconds
later, he finally answered the question that has been on everyone's
lips for the past year - is he transitioning from a man into a woman?
'I
have always been very confused with my gender identity since I was this
big,' admitted Bruce, lowering his hand to several feet above the
ground.
'People
look at me differently. They see this macho male, but this female side
is part of me, it’s who I am. I was not genetically born that way, and
so now I have all the male parts and all that kind of stuff so in a lot
of ways we’re different but we still identify as female.'
He
added: 'My whole life has been getting me ready for this. I'm really
excited about the future, about what good I could do in the world. It's
going to be an emotional rollercoaster, but somehow I'm gonna get
through it... I feel like I’m going to be OK. 2015 is going to be quite a
ride... Quite a ride.'
But
despite his self-proclaimed 'female soul', Bruce said he does not
describe himself as a woman stuck in a man's body. 'I'm a person and
that's who I am,' he said. 'I'm not stuck in anyone's body. It's just
me. It's who I am.' He added that last night's interview would be his
last one as Bruce, as a 'he'.
And
when asked if he dreams as a woman, he said he 'always' has done.
Indeed, Bruce was only eight or nine years old when he first put on one
of his mother's dresses while she was out of the house. He then
carefully placed the feminine item back in the exact same spot to avoid
getting caught.
'At
the time, I didn’t know why I was doing it besides it just made me feel
good,' he told Diane. He went on to tell her about a time, as an adult,
that he was greeted by a storm of paparazzi after a doctor's
appointment to get a trachial shave. 'That night I thought, 'Oh, it's,
like, over,' he said.
'I
was walking up and down this hall right here, back and forth, back and
forth all night long. Heart's pounding. And I thought, wouldn't the
easiest thing to be right now, and I could see where people get to that -
is go in the room, get a gun. Boom. You know? Pain's over. Done. Go to a
better place.
'And I thought, "nah, I cant do something like that". I mean, I wanna know how this story ends.'
Source: #UkDailyMail
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