- Faith: Christian
- Career: Public Figure
- Birthday: October 28, 1949
Caitlyn, born "Bruce" Jenner, is a transgender American TV personality and former Olympic decathlon track and field champion. After his win, Bruce Jenner was considered the world's most outstanding athlete and became the "Wheaties Champion" spokesperson for the brand's breakfast cereal.
Caitlyn Marie Jenner was born William Bruce Jenner on October 28, 1949, in Mount Kisco, New York. Jenner struggled with his gender identity secret for most of his life. He was married 3 times and has 6 kids. His most recent marriage that produced his last 2 children was with reality TV star Kris Kardashian, who has 4 children from a previous marriage to whom he became a step-father for most of their teenage lives. With his divorce from Kris Kardashian, Bruce came out as a transgender woman and officially became Caitlyn Jenner in 2015.
Caitlyn Jenner's introduction to the world was through her "Call Me Caitlyn" Vanity Fair magazine cover. The 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer explaining Bruce's life and choice to reveal his secret had 20.7 million viewers, the highest-ever rated newsmagazine telecast among adults around the ages of 18-54. Jenner also received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in the 2015 ESPY Awards. During the first hour of Jenner's sitdown with Diane Sawyer, the former Olympian shared that she'd been taking hormones for 5 years in the 1980s, with her chest reaching a size 36B.
However, she stopped her transition because of how it might impact her children and her Christian faith. After her transition, Jenner gathered some of her closest friends to give thanks for the journey that gave her a new name. Her renaming ceremony occurred at her home in Malibu, California, and served as the setting for the finale for her E! reality series "I Am Cait." Allyson Dylan Robinson, a transgender pastor, led the service.
Robinson shared a brief sermon about Jacob, a biblical leader who wrestled with God for an entire night, refusing to let go until he received a blessing. In the morning, God blessed Jacob with a new name, Israel. She compared Jacob's struggle to that faced by many transgender people, who struggle to fit in and "boldly demand of God a blessing." The pastor continued with an affirmation of Caitlyn's name. "Child of God, by what name shall you be known?" she asked Caitlyn. Jenner responded, "My name shall be Caitlyn Marie Jenner." Those assembled repeated that proclamation.
What religion is Caitlyn Jenner?
As a Christian, Jenner says she still attends church often and believes in God and faith. However, that relationship caused her to wrestle with her identity. She said, "To me, my faith played a very big role in what I'm doing. Growing up, I would think to myself, 'Why did God put all these questions in my head?' As she decided to transition, she had a long discussion with her pastor.
She said, "In the end, when I talk about faith, the last person besides my family, my close friends, the last hurdle I had to get over to know I was doing the right thing in transitioning was my faith and with God."
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