Jenner prays with anti-LGBT pastor in positive move for LGBT community

by Sara Ritsch
Staff Writer

Caitlyn Jenner, aforementioned this week as a media favorite and a bit of a hypocrite regarding the transgender community, has taken a step forward in proving herself to her LGBT peers this week – although at first, it seemed like a step back.

On tour for her new reality TV series, “I Am Cait,” a photo of her praying with an openly anti-LGBT Christian preacher went viral. Pastor Ed Young gave his anti-gay sermon with a group of transgender women in the audience, one of whom is a stark Republican, and may not have expected the outcome of his words.

While insulting the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, he called it “godless” and “a serious moral issue,” according to a video of his sermon.

This threw shade on Jenner’s stance, which had already been criticized by advocates of the transgender community. But instead of betraying her transgender sisters and brothers, Jenner took an empathetic and emotional step for the LGBT community.

Jennifer Finney Boylan, a transgender woman and friend of Jenner, blogged about their experience filming at Young’s anti-LGBT church.

“Caitlyn Jenner looked him in the eye and told him how much his actions and his words had harmed our people. I was proud of her— given her conservative beliefs, it struck me as a sign of great progress, a first step into activism, gentle though it may have been,” she said on her website, www.jenniferboylan.net.

“The pastor seemed to me to have never spoken face to face with transgender people before, and he clearly did not understand our lives, given some of the things he said to us.

“But we were calm and polite and dignified. We told him about our lives, and he paused to listen. He really did seem to consider our humanity. I thought that moment was breathtaking.”

Caitlyn Jenner may have single-handedly changed the heart of a leader who preaches intolerance for the trans community – a huge step for those for whom she advocates, and also a huge step for her career.

The Gayly - 12/21/2015 @ 1:35 p.m. CST