I didn’t watch the last two episodes of I Am Cait, mostly because Caitlyn Jenner is actually the most boring person on that show. I understand that the show is groundbreaking because it actually shows part of one person’s emotional, intellectual and physical transition, but at the end of the day, Caitlyn Jenner really hasn’t learned all that much. She’s still in an enormously privileged position and what bothers me is that even when she’s called out on her privilege, she doesn’t really do much about it.

So several days ago, Caitlyn appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. The conversation came around to gay marriage, and guess what? Caitlyn is still a conservative Republican. This is what Cait told Ellen: “I’m a traditionalist. I’m older than most people in the audience. I kind of like tradition, and it’s always been a man and a woman. I’m thinking, ‘I don’t quite get it.’ But, I think, like a lot of people on this issue, I have really changed my thinking here to, ‘I don’t ever want to stand in front of anybody’s happiness.’ That’s not my job, okay? If that word – ‘marriage’ – is really, really that important to you, I can go with it.” Here’s the video:

I think Cait’s tone makes it better, because just reading what she said, she did come across as somewhat judgy, like “You gay people just want to call it ‘marriage,’ how cute.” Anyway, Ellen appeared on Howard Stern’s show and they chatted about that moment. Ellen was and is still bewildered about Caitlyn’s position, saying: “She still has a judgment about gay marriage. I said, ‘You’re wanting people to understand and accept you, this is like really confusing to people. And you want us to understand, and that you still have a judgment about gay people and marriage.’ And she goes, ‘Well, she said if the word ‘marriage’ is that important … and I was like, ‘It is, because that’s the word.’ Like, we want the same thing.”

I think it’s fair for Ellen to discuss this and call out Caitlyn specifically. While Caitlyn isn’t as bad as, say, Kim Davis, I’d be willing to bet that Caitlyn believes that Kim Davis should have the right to her “religious views” as well. And that’s the problem – Caitlyn’s lack of critical thinking, her inability to expand her worldview beyond her own narrow privilege. If it’s okay for elected officials to pick and choose which laws and regulations to enforce according to their religion, what will Caitlyn say when transgender people are affected by those “traditions” and “religious freedoms”?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.