Olympic great Bruce Jenner – once the symbol of American masculinity –came out as transgender and told the world that he now identifies as a woman.
“For all intents and purposes, I am a woman,” Jenner, 65, bravely told Diane Sawyer during an interview broadcast Friday night on ABC. “My brain is much more female than it is male.”
Jenner explained his announcement by saying he couldn’t keep living a lie.
“I just can’t pull the curtain any longer. Bruce lives a lie. She is not a lie,” Jenner said.
Jenner won the 1976 Olympic decathlon gold medal and was a restrained presence on the over-the-top reality show “Keeping up with the Kardashians” starting in 2007.
Stepdaughter Kim Kardashian was the most supportive, he said, telling him, “Girl, you got to rock it. You got to look good! If you’re doing this thing, you’re representing the family, you got to look really good.”
In an emotional portion of the interview, the 6-foot-2 Jenner described how he imagined God had made him.
“God was looking down, making little Bruce. He’s thinking, ‘What am I going to do with this one?’ ” Jenner said, explaining that he believes God gave him a number of positive characteristics but also decided he needed a challenge.
“God looks down and says, ‘Let’s give him the soul of a female and see how he does with that.’ ”
Jenner also said he was a Republican, admitted he’s “never been a big fan” of President Obama, and said, “I’m more on the conservative side.”
Early in the interview, the former “World’s Greatest Athlete” took out his pony tail and shook out his long hair. At other points, he laughed and seemed to be having a great time.
Describing when he first revealed his secret to his third wife, Kris, he said, “I had been on hormones for five years and I was a solid 36B. You really can’t hide those things,” adding, “I thought we had a pretty good sex life.”
Jenner said stepdaughter Khloe Kardashian told him he should go through with gender-reassignment surgery.
“If you’re living your life as female, as Khloe said, you got to have the ‘vajajay’,” Jenner said, using a slang word for vagina.
Celebs took to Twitter to congratulate Jenner.
“Now that is bravery,” wrote Lady Gaga.
“Bruce Jenner is a beautiful, brave human being. Sending him lots of love. He’s saving lives and opening minds tonight,” tweeted Ellen Degeneres.
Besides gracing a Wheaties box as an “American Champion,” Bruce was also a race-car driver and a TV and movie actor.