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In the Bruce Jenner Interview when Diane Sawyer asked what her sexuality is. She said for now she will consider herself asexual.

Musichead2468

By Musichead2468,
in 2015

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Musichead2468

Musichead2468

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She was interviewed by Diane Sawyer tonight.

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Steph Ace

Steph Ace

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I just saw that! I was actually impressed that Asexuality was used in the proper form!

Now, the mass misgendering is another story... although I get she has given consent to use male pronouns. Otherwise they're making mistakes in my book >.<

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Zerο

Zerο

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I wouldn't be too surprised if that harpy Kris Jenner played a role in him turning asexual.

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She was interviewed by Diane Sawyer tonight.

I just saw that! I was actually impressed that Asexuality was used in the proper form!

Now, the mass misgendering is another story... although I get she has given consent to use male pronouns. Otherwise they're making mistakes in my book >.<

No no, he (to be clear, Jenner asked to be referred to as he in that interview -- this should have been mentioned at the start of the interview and wasn't, but was explicitly said in the middle of the interview) didn't use asexuality right. He was saying he doesn't want to be in a relationship for now, he wants to work on himself for a while. That's not the same thing as not experiencing sexual attraction to people. All his life he's been a very sexual person. He's just going through a phase now where sex isn't what he wants/isn't a priority because he's transitioning, which is a huge change physically and mentally.

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Steph Ace

Steph Ace

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No no, he (Jenner asked to be referred to as he in that interview -- this should have been mentioned at the start of the interview and wasn't, but was explicitly said in the middle of the interview) didn't use asexuality right. He was saying he doesn't want to be in a relationship for now, he wants to work on himself for a while. That's not the same thing as not experiencing sexual attraction to people. All his life he's been a very sexual person. He's just going through a phase now where sex isn't what he wants/isn't a priority because he's transitioning, which is a huge change physically and mentally.

It was my understanding there was a conflict between "Am I sexually attracted to women still or am I sexually attracted to men?". For the moment they are claiming no sexual attraction to either. I felt it was the proper use.

Asexuality is an identity/ label that is free to be used by anyone, both for long term and temporary. If asexuality fits them for the moment, then we should be welcoming and allowing them to use it :)

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Star Bit

Star Bit

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O-O I was just watching that (well, part of it). My dad changed the channel to it for a few minutes and then changed it again. Nooooooo, i missed it. :(

My parents don't accept what's different so if i asked him to change it back I'd get BS.

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No no, he (Jenner asked to be referred to as he in that interview -- this should have been mentioned at the start of the interview and wasn't, but was explicitly said in the middle of the interview) didn't use asexuality right. He was saying he doesn't want to be in a relationship for now, he wants to work on himself for a while. That's not the same thing as not experiencing sexual attraction to people. All his life he's been a very sexual person. He's just going through a phase now where sex isn't what he wants/isn't a priority because he's transitioning, which is a huge change physically and mentally.

It was my understanding there was a conflict between "Am I sexually attracted to women still or am I sexually attracted to men?". For the moment they are claiming no sexual attraction to either. I felt it was the proper use.

It was a weird question. He'd said earlier in the interview that he'd only been sexually attracted to women his whole life, he'd never been interested in men or involved with men in any way. And he's made it very clear he was into women, including sexually, and the interview said over and over "gender identity =/= sexual orientation."

Then she asks him anyway what gender his next partner would be, completely disregarding that he had said he was only into women, AND the show had said three or four times that gender identity and sexual orientation are entirely separate. /facepalm/

So he says he doesn't want a relationship now, and she keeps pushing, so he says fine, asexual, I don't want anyone like that now, I want to work on me and be happy.

Going through a temporary phase where one doesn't want sex, for any reason, doesn't make one asexual as an orientation.

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Oh! One more thing I just recalled! He used the word asexual because she was specifically pushing him to give an orientation term for post-transition.

He'd been saying he was "completely heterosexual" as well as being a woman (explicitly avoiding identifying as a trans lesbian, his choice, although his use of "heterosexual" in this context introduces its own confusion). But, I get what he was saying. She asked him not only what gender his next partner would be, but then said, "if you are with a woman, would that make you a lesbian?" and that's when he said fine, think of me as asexual.

I do get why he may feel really uncomfortable with the word lesbian, since lesbian culture is a whole thing and he's never been a part of that. Who knows what he'll end up saying, "I'm a trans lesbian," "I'm a trans gay woman," "I'm a trans woman who is attracted to women and only to women," etc.

The whole thing was confused about orientation. They said in one of the insert segments that "trans people can be the same sexual orientations as the rest of us, straight, gay or bisexual," leaving out asexual (expected, but disappointing). Or referred to "the opposite gender" in one context which was awkward not only because trans people can also be attracted to "both or neither" in the binary model, trans people can be (and be attracted to) -- wait for it -- NONBINARY PEOPLE! It's a documentary about trans lives and trans voices, right? So why erase the rest of us nonbinary people, without even a hint at any point in the documentary that we can exist?

So frustrating.

I guess my other concern is that while he can use whatever terms he wants, people will look at those of us who are both ace and on the trans* spectrum and say "oh, you're only ace because of your gender issues." Which is true for some people, but not true for others. And hey, Jenner was dealing with gender issues his whole life, and had plenty of sexual attraction for women (and acted on it!). So not everyone who has gender dysphoria feels ace because of it (even if they do for a period of time while transitioning).

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Tessc

Tessc

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Ok, so this whole interview wasn't aired in Australia, but can I ask: has he come out and said what he's changing his name to? Because, in my experience, the name is the first thing trans people want changed. It's one of the first steps in the transition, but everyone is still calling him Bruce.

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Guest

Guest

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The name wasn't announced, according to TIME.

I didn't see the interview, but am curious now after reading the posts about it. Will have to wait til it's available online...

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That's not a transcript, it's highlights (a bit out of context).

Also, sexual orientation is who you are attracted to, not who you have sex with (as I think we all know here!). There are plenty of (for example) gay and lesbian people who have had heterosexual sex for one reason or another, but who are not bi/pan. And gender identity doesn't just exist at night time. (I hate these soundbites, I really do.)

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Prairie

Prairie

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LOL on the obscuring techniques they used on sound and picture in order to avoid the automated copyright patrol from flagging it immediately.

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daveb

daveb

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I thought it was pretty good overall, on both Bruce Jenner's part and Diane Sawyer's part. Not perfect, but much better than it could have been. I still wish him the best.

(had to wash away some tears)

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Star Bit

Star Bit

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He didn't say "I am asexual" he said "Let's go with asexual." Did he even mean it as an orientation? Or did he mean "a sexual"?

Meaning he was just trying to shut up her repetitive and ignorant question.

So no one should be mad about a misuse at all.

I get that Diane Sawyer wanted to hammer into the public's heads that "a person's sex does not equal who they're attracted to" by repeating it, but she still acted kinda ignorant by asking it again. Instead of just repeating the line itself she asks the question once again to get the same desired answer.

Bruce seems uncomfortable with the term homosexual applied to his female self; with him never admitting it. Perhaps he's been male for so long that he doesn't fully view himself as female (though predominantly female) and does not identify as being the same as who he's interested in. Or perhaps he'll be better with the title once he's physically female. But if he dislikes it perhaps he'd like the term Gynosexual/romantic.

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minako3223

minako3223

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at least it's giving more visibility in that there is much more than the label 'heterosexual' in this world

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ithaca

ithaca

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LOL on the obscuring techniques they used on sound and picture in order to avoid the automated copyright patrol from flagging it immediately.

How did they do it? :o

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Star Bit

Star Bit

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Actually, i really want to know now if he actually meant Asexuality as an orientation or how some ppl use it essentially meaning an asexual aromantic/how asexual reproduction and such an organism's life would be partnerless and sexless.

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I'm not comfortable with people using asexuality to refer to a phase in their life when they're dealing with other things and not interested in a relationship. That is not the same thing as the orientaiton asexuality, and will only lead to confusion. BJ said (in the same interview!) that he identifies as heterosexual. And in the future, BJ will probably identify along the lines of "a trans woman who has a sexual interest in women." This is not asexual, as an orientation.

It was an honest mistake. I just would like things cleared up!

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ithaca

ithaca

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I can't find the part of the video where he mentioned "asexual" anymore anywhere. Anyone has a handy link?

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Lucinda

Lucinda

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How bizarre! It will not let me post the link for you, Ithaca .... hmmmm....

OK, so I will give you directions!

Go to abcnews.go.com

Select 2020 (this interview was part of the 20/20 investigative reports)

Scroll down until you see the Jenner interview in 10 parts. It is part 9 that you are interested in.

Hope this helps,

Lucinda :)

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