Nearly three million peopletuned in to watch the premier of I am Cait, the reality television show following the life of Caitlyn Jenner. The show has generally met with a supportive and curious audience, eager to witness the inner workings of Olympian and Keeping Up with the Kardashian star’s transition from “Bruce” to Caitlyn. Since her coming out in April, Jenner has appeared across a wide range of television networks, graced the cover of Vanity Fair’s June publication, and accepted the 2015 ESPY’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award.For the past four months, Caitlyn Jenner has stood as a symbol of progress for the transgender community: if a former Olympic victor known for “his” masculinity and ruggedness can so gracefully transform before the public eye into her glamorous and sophisticated true self, then the transgender community has certainly been accepted by the American public, right?Not quite. While all coming out stories are unique, Jenner’s is particularly distinct. She is wealthy, white, and well connected. Her family has shown immense support in her coming out and her fame as a world-class athlete and television star has provided her a platform to discuss her transition. As a result, her public transition from “male” to female appeared rather effortless (which is not to say that coming out was easy either personally or privately among friends and family). Viewers watched actively as Jenner described her past struggles for personal and familial acceptance, all the while knowing that she currently lived surrounded by those who loved and accepted her. The public applauded as Jenner splashed across the cover of Vanity Fair, dressed flawlessly in an elegant feminine corset to match the shiny curls cascading down her shoulders. Caitlyn Jenner emerged as an embodiment of femininity, seemingly overnight. But it is critical to remember that the TV edited, professionally made up, and meticulously photo-shopped Caitlyn Jenner is not an accurate representation of the transgender community (or likely even an accurate representation of herself—Jenner has acknowledged a lifetime coming out process, a far cry from her relatively rapid public transition). The overwhelming majority of transgender women and men will not have already gained support from friends and family, will not have immediate access to hormones or surgeries if desired, and will not be provided a platform to discuss, explain, and share their experiences. Over 90 percent of transgender men and women will experience workplace harassment, and one in ten will be evicted from their homes purely for their gender identification. Transgender people of color are six times more likely to experience violence from police than white cisgender men and women. Forty percent of all transgender individuals will attempt suicide. It is dangerous to point to Jenner on the television screen and declare, “Look! America is totally fine with this— this proves it’s really not that hard to be transgender anymore!” There is an important distinction to be drawn between being supportive of Caitlyn Jenner, and actively supporting transgender men and women in America. There is a massive difference between “liking” Jenner’s perfectly filtered Facebook profile picture and advocating for transgender rights. To feel comfortable with Jenner’s interview where she explains the fear she felt in coming out to her family is different than feeling comfortable telling your transgender friend he should not fear asking to be referred to by male pronouns. We cannot look at Jenner and assume she represents the transgender community or that the support she has received has been provided to every transgender individual. Even in terms of transgender celebrities, Caitlyn Jenner is unique. Compare Jenner’s experiences with those of Laverne Cox, the African American transgender actress who advocated for transgender rights for years before finally appearing on Times Magazine in 2014. Caitlyn Jenner can be admired and supported, but we need to bear in mind that she is still only an individual in a large community. We need to remember that the acceptance we provide to Caitlyn Jenner at a distance should not be greater than the acceptance we provide transgender members of our community on a daily basis. This article was written by Lizzy Leclaire. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: E! Entertainment