Caitlyn Jenner opened up to Ellen DeGeneres, the host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, about a whole range of issues during a pre-taped interview that will be airing on Tuesday’s season premiere of the program. Jenner talked about dating, her stance on gay marriage and other things in her first appearance on the talk show circuit since coming out as a trans woman in April 2015.
Caitlyn Jenner is sharing more of her story with the world four months after coming out as a transgender person. Jenner started this journey (publicly) with the Diane Sawyer interview, followed with a well-received speech at the 2015 ESPY Awards and the airing of her eight-part TV documentary series, I Am Cait, which airs on E!. The final episode is scheduled for September 13.
In the previews posted online, Jenner can be heard saying that she is feeling “fabulous” and happy to be able to wake up in the morning as her “authentic self.” However, what grabbed headlines is the fact she evolved when it comes to gay marriage. Jenner, a conservative Republican, explained the change of heart by saying:
“I have to admit that I remember 15 years ago, 20 years ago whenever it was the whole gay marriage issue came up at first, I was not for it. I thought am a traditionalist. I’m older than most people in the audience. I like tradition and it’s always been between a man and a woman and I’m thinking I don’t quite get it. But as time goes on like a lot of people on this issue I’ve really changed thinking here to I don’t ever want to stand in front of anybodys happiness.”
Sensing that her support for same-sex marriage is soft, DeGeneres asked Jenner to elaborate. The 65-year-old former Olympian added:
“If that word marriage is really, really that important to you, I can go with it. I’m on board. It’s going to be pretty much the law of the land. So I still feel like yea, I’m okay with it.”
The parent of six also spoke about dating. Jenner revealed that is something she is not really focusing on at the moment. She said:
“This is, and we deal with it in our show, a tremendous issue in the trans community. It’s a very big issue. So many today transition at a very young age and the whole dating thing comes in. Everybody wants to have a partner everybody would love to have a family and for trans people sometimes that can be extraordinarily difficult to do. And so it is an issue that’s big in the community.”
Jenner also shared:
“I’ve kind of passed that stage in my life, but yes would I like to find a partner in life to share my life with. Yeah. I’m sure I will at some point. Right now I’m just very busy doing a lot of things and kind of just getting used to where I’m at and who I’m at. As time goes on I’ll deal with that subject.”
