Caitlyn Jenner has once again defended her standing in the transgender community in an exclusive interview with Newsweek after being told "she contributed zero to social issues."
Jenner was previously known as an Olympic decathlete champion and patriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner clan until she came out as a transgender woman in 2015.
Now, she is starring in the three-part docuseries, House of Kardashian, a tell-all look behind the rise to power of one of the world's most famous families.
But their rise to superstardom has not come without its critics, including news pilot Zoey Tur. She appears in the docuseries to talk about how she was previously known to Los Angeles TV viewers as "Chopper Bob," before revealing to the world she had began her gender-affirming transition.
Tur conceded Jenner had been "incredibly brave by coming out, especially after having a history of being a super-macho guy, being on television and being part of the Kardashian family."
She explained, "I mean, I had great respect for that," but then added "when you're famous and you have power and you've got money, you have a responsibility to help change people's lives. But that wasn't the case."
"After transitioning, Caitlyn was no different to any other Kardashian. These people have more money than God. And what have they done with their money... they have led vacuous lives and contributed zero to the social issues of our time. And that's everything that is wrong with America," Tur continued.
Jenner scoffed at Tur's accusations and said she wished Tur's comments had not been included in the final edit because "this person doesn't know me at all."
"First of all, I have never met that person. I have no idea who that person is. I have never met him [her]," Jenner told Newsweek, and went on to incorrectly state Tur had transitioned back to male.
Newsweek contacted Tur by email and Instagram for comment.
"This is a confused person. And so from that standpoint, I honestly wish the show had not shown that because it does not represent me and the person that I am but you know, when you're in the media, you kind of get used to dealing with those types of things," Jenner added.
The LGBTQ+ community had hoped Jenner would be a beacon for transgender awareness in mainstream media and pop culture, especially because in the early days after coming out she spoke about "accepting people for who they are."
Jenner made those comments when accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPYs which she was given for showing "the courage to embrace a truth that had been hidden for years, and to embark on a journey that may not only give comfort to those facing similar circumstances but can also help to educate people on the challenges that the transgender community faces."
The reality star herself said in other interviews she wanted to use her platform as the most famous transgender person in the world to raise awareness about gender dysphoria, violence against trans women and other important transgender issues.
She starred in her own reality series, I Am Cait, which documented her transition and coming out, but also navigating her new role as a transgender advocate. During the series, Jenner traveled the country chatting to people in different transgender communities about the issues that were important to them.
But the relationship with the LGBTQ+ community turned sour when Jenner made a run for the governor's office in California as a representative of the Republican Party, which she is a vocal supporter of.
She has also faced criticism about her role as a high profile transgender person, especially regarding her comments about transgender women competing in sports against cisgender women and the Dylan Mulvaney-Bud Light boycott fiasco. Conservatives have called for boycotts of brands, such as Bud Light, that collaborated with members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Speaking in May this year, Jenner said the transgender community was "skyrocketing" at a "disturbing" rate, blaming "indoctrination" and an "oversaturation of the topic." She made the comments on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a tweet by conservative YouTuber Blaire White.
The month prior to those comments she launched the Fairness First initiative which describes itself as "a big tent movement, non-partisan in nature, with the intention of protecting women and girls in sport—especially in light of recent events with radical gender ideology."
Jenner asked people to donate to the cause to fight "radical gender ideology" and "gender extremists" in schools.
For one transgender journalist, criticizing other trans people is usually not helpful to the cause, but in the case of Jenner she was willing to make an exception.
Gemma Stone, a transgender writer and co-founder of the Trans Writes news site, told Newsweek she built her online platform "on a position of giving trans people the benefit of the doubt and trying not to be harsh on them."
"Trans people rarely need other trans people adding to the chorus of people telling them they're terrible—even when a given individual genuinely is," Stone explained.
"But that rule hits the brick wall that is Caitlyn Jenner and her politics. It disintegrates pretty quickly because her trans exclusionary positions and willingness to be puppeted around for the benefit of anti-trans propaganda is having a material negative impact on the lives of trans people around the world and most of us wish she would just shut the f*** up forever."
The culture war about transgender issues comes after non-profit organization Human Right Campaign (HRC) declared an unprecedented "state of emergency" for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S.
More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been entered by state legislators across the country and Congress in this year, more than any year on record. Of those already introduced, 220 target transgender people, including banning them from competing in sports and preventing minors from accessing gender-affirming health care.
"The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived—they are real, tangible, and dangerous," HRC President Kelley Robinson said. "In many cases, they are resulting in violence against LGBTQ+ people, forcing families to uproot their lives and flee their homes in search of safer states, and triggering a tidal wave of increased homophobia and transphobia that puts the safety of each and every one of us at risk.
"Our No.1 priority will always be ensuring that LGBTQ+ people are safe and have the tools they need to defend and protect themselves against acts of hostility, discrimination and—in the most extreme cases—violence."
House of Kardashian premieres on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW in the U.K. on Sunday, October 8, with U.S. dates to be announced soon.
