Why Bruce Jenner Prefers to Go by Male Pronouns – for the Time Being
Update: In June 2015, Caitlyn Jenner came out as a transgender woman. This content was written in April 2015 before Jenner publicly announced her full transition.
Following Friday’s groundbreaking interview with Diane Sawyer on 20/20, Bruce Jenner may now be the most famous transgender person in America – a journey that will certainly raise awareness.
And in the interview, Jenner asked Sawyer to call him “him.”
The former Olympian, 65, told Sawyer on Friday that “for all intents and purposes, I’m a woman,” and spoke in detail about the lifelong struggle with gender identity and the decision to finally transition. During their interview, Sawyer repeatedly referred to Jenner by male pronouns, as did Jenner himself.
Most transgender people prefer pronouns of the gender they identify as – transgender women prefer female pronouns, and transgender men prefer male pronouns.
But as Sawyer explained, Jenner told her for the purposes of the interview, “he” and “him” were fine. Sawyer also said that this is Jenner’s last interview as “Bruce.”
GLAAD echoed that personal choice in a statement of its own, following the interview.
“At this time, Bruce Jenner has not requested that a new name or pronoun be used, therefore we are respecting his wishes and will continue to refer to Jenner by his current name and with male pronouns,” the group said.
“Some transgender people prefer to change their name and/or pronoun quickly. Other transgender people may take more time to decide what name and/or pronoun feels right to them.
“To be respectful, use the name and/or pronoun requested by the individual.”
Jenner told Sawyer he has chosen a new name, but declined to reveal it. He also said he’s considering more physical changes.
“Those are all things that are out there in the future for me to explore,” he said. “I would do it so quietly, no one in the world would ever know.”
A source close to the family says Jenner is growing more and more comfortable every day, telling PEOPLE: “He is living as much as possible as a woman and figuring out what that exactly means or entails.”