As mentioned yesterday, I attended a lecture on Wednesday night by an inspirational, highly decorated former Navy SEAL and transgender activist named Kristin Beck. (You can watch her documentary, Lady Valor, on Netflix. Please do not buy her book, Warrior Princess, as she is currently suing the publisher to collect royalties owed to her.) Kristin said so many quotable things that it was hard to do justice to her talk. She did say that she’s not doing this for fame or money, that she’s fighting for equality and is trying to “save some kids.” When asked what she would say about Bruce Jenner that she didn’t say in an appearance on CNN discussing his 20/20 special, she said that she wished he would “stop recording… come out and be a hero.” Kristin said that it seemed like Bruce is parceling out his transition for money, essentially, instead of coming out all at once. (Before people criticize her for saying this, she thought she was speaking to a room, not the press, but did agree to make these comments public when I asked.)

So it’s not surprising to me to hear that Bruce is going to return to motivational speaking now that he’s announced that he’s transgender. He’s not going to be doing it for free, either.

Bruce Jenner is taking his story on the road. After coming out as transgender in a much-lauded interview with Diane Sawyer on April 24, the former Olympian is now preparing for an E! series documenting his transition and, as a source revealed in the May 4 issue of Us Weekly, a revival of his motivational speaking career.

“It was very lucrative for him in the past,” an insider told Us of Jenner, 65, who earned around $5,000 per event in the late 1970s, “and now he has a whole new audience.”

Indeed, life coach Seth Rainess suggested to Us that “Bruce will be in greater demand than anybody. He could make tens of thousands per engagement.”

The money isn’t the main draw, though. As Jenner said during his interview with Sawyer, “What I’m doing is going to do some good. And we’re going to change the world. I really firmly believe that. We’re going to make a difference in the world with what we’re doing.”

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, doesn’t disagree. “All of us who have struggled with coming out know what a monumental thing it is to have Bruce Jenner come out as trans,” Keisling told Us Weekly. “He has been trying to outrun this for around 60 years — that’s a lot of outrunning, even for a decathlon champ. It takes a lot of courage.”

That courage could give others courage, too. “This year, trans people have been traumatized by a spike in murders and suicides,” Keisling said. “And when a celebrity family like Bruce’s is supportive, that can really help all trans people. It can have a huge impact.”

With that comes huge responsibility, of course — but Jenner, dad to 10 kids and stepkids, is more than up to the challenge. “He is going to be a role model for the transgender community,” the source told Us of the Keeping Up With the Kardashians patriarch. “He knows he has an important job to do.”

[From US Magazine]

Let me make this clear – I don’t think by any stretch that Bruce came out for monetary reasons. This is who he is, and it takes so much courage to make this announcement as a public figure. However, Kristin’s criticism rings true. Bruce is doing a reality show, he’s timing his transition, he’s holding back information and is lining up a career for himself. This makes sense, and is very similar to how he parlayed his athletic triumph into multiple brand endorsements at a time when that was rare. People wouldn’t expect him to travel around and make speeches for free. He’s a planner and will hustle for cash, just like his ex wife, Kris. I do think he will save lives and I believe this is a positive thing overall.

While I haven’t been able to confirm this with her, Kristin Beck’s speaking fee is listed on Speakerpedia as $0. (She may receive a fee however, which would only be fair.) People like Jane Fonda earn around 6 figures a speech so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that Jenner will command similar fees.