Bruce Jenner’s mother confirms trans speculation
Bruce Jenner’s mother Esther, has opened up about rumours that the Olympian is to announce their transition to female.
Supermarket tabloids in the US have intensely scrutinised reality star Bruce Jenner’s appearance for months, with InTouch magazine coming under fire for a crudely photoshopped photo of them as a woman.
Esther Jenner, 88, has spoken in an interview with the Associated Press following weeks of speculation surrounding Bruce’s gender identity.
Various media outlets reported that “a source” close to the family had said Jenner, the stepparent of the Kardashian siblings, was about to come out as trans. Others have reported that a TV series will follow the transition.
Asked whether Bruce had raised their gender identity with Esther, she said: “It was brief and I said I was proud of him and that I’ll always love him. I never thought I could be more proud of Bruce when he reached his goal in 1976, but I’m more proud of him now. It takes a lot of courage to do what he’s doing.”
“He said, ‘Mom, I’m still the same person.’ He said, ‘I’m still going to race cars, I’m still going to fly airplanes and I’m going to get my helicopter license.’ she said of Jenner’s coming out to her.
Saying it “was a surprise” and “a shock”, Esther Jenner went on to say: “The family is close and very supportive of Bruce and we’re supportive of each other.”
“It’s hard to wrap your mind around it,” she continued.
According to Esther, Bruce said: “‘I want to be honest about my identity and I know this is coming out in the press.’ He started by saying, ‘We need to have a long, serious talk.’ I am at peace with what he is and what he’s doing.”
Speaking to ET Online, Kardashian said Jenner is “the happiest” she’s ever seen them.
Legendary LA-area reporter and helicopter pilot Zoey Tur – who made a return to work this week after transitioning to female – told CNN that the star needs to “speak up”.
