After his monumental 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer, in which Bruce Jenner opened up about his gender identity and announced that he is a woman, his second ex-wife, Linda Thompson, published a touching op-ed in the Huffington Post about what it was marrying and living with Jenner, even through the rough patches.
Thompson wrote about the moment Jenner first opened up to her about his gender dysphoria,
Bruce told me that he identified as a woman. Not understanding exactly what he meant, I questioned him. "What do you mean you identify as a woman?" I asked. "What does that mean?" [...] People have asked me, "Were there any signs or clues through the years that Bruce might have had this issue? Any evidence he wore your clothes?" No. Not a clue. Nothing. Nada. Never.
I would venture to say that 30 years ago, very few of us were adequately educated about the world of gender dysphoria. I certainly wasn't.
Thompson and Jenner went to therapy after that, but the couple eventually split up after six months. But Thompson explains that despite all that, marrying and loving Bruce gave her some of the happiest moments of her life, and continued to say how proud she is of him for coming out as his true self:
After having harbored his secret, and feeling in my heart and mind that I have protected him through these years, I can now breathe a little easier, knowing he now has found the strength and the courage to fulfill his dream. He can finally realize his need to be who he authentically is, who he was born to be. That takes tremendous courage. For that I commend him.
And to everyone reading, Thompson ends her letter with a reminder: "Be kind. Be kind. Be kind."
