Yesterday we reported that Radar Online scored an exclusive interview with Bruce Jenner’s mom, Esther, who confirmed that her son was transitioning. Despite the fact that Esther had only recently learned the news from Bruce, she was absolutely accepting and she gushed about what a great man her son is, and how accomplished he is. It was a joy to read and I’m getting teary now just thinking about it.

Today Radar released part two of their interview with Esther Jenner, and the amount of love, admiration and understanding she shows is incredible. She says she’s going to educate herself about transitioning too. Here are some quotes from Esther that were just released today:

I knew he was special from the time he was a little boy… I was so proud of him from all the way back in high school when he raced for the New England track and field. There was a coach in Wilton, Connecticut, who said ‘’You know what I see in Brucie? I see a decathlete.’

And of course, I didn’t know what a decathlon was. I knew it had to do with track and field. And that went on for eight years after high school and he always reached his goals.

Right now, I am more proud of him for what he’s allowing himself to do…

I have known for a short time [about his transition]… I have got to really educate myself.

I just love him like I always have. … I support him whole-heartedly.

[From Radar Online]

This lady just loves chatting about her son, it’s so nice to read. Meanwhile, as you can see above, Bruce scored the cover of People Magazine! According to People (which contradicts Radar’s reports that Kris isn’t totally on board with Bruce going public), Kris and the Jenner-Kardashian kids and spouses are all accepting of Bruce. Scott Disick took more time to come around, but I guess we would expect that from him. Here’s part of People’s report, with more to come in the upcoming print edition:

When Bruce Jenner was finally ready to tell his children that he is transgender, his revelation was met with less surprise than he may have anticipated.

“Bruce told them everything – where things stood, what his plans were for the future, and what everyone could expect,” a family insider tells PEOPLE of Jenner’s decision to transition and live his life as a female. “Everyone basically knew what was up, but it was still a shock to hear it outlined so explicitly.”

But it didn’t take long for Jenner’s six children – and his ex-wife Kris’s kids Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob Kardashian – to rally around the patriarch of reality-TV’s most famous family.

“They all came all around pretty quickly, but each of them had to process it in their own way,” says the insider. “All they want is for him to be happy.”

For Kim, the process included checking in on how her mother was responding to the news.

“Kim went to Kris and asked her how she felt. They had a very long conversation about it,” says the insider. “Once Kim was satisfied that Kris was emotionally okay, she was able to give Bruce her unconditional support.”

As for the men in the Kardashian women’s lives, the insider says Kourtney’s boyfriend Scott Disick “didn’t react very well” at first, but “is now on board” while Kim’s husband Kanye West seemed to embrace Jenner’s transition immediately.

“He is totally fine with it,” the insider says of West. “He believes in live and let live, and he took it all in stride. He and Kim are just trying to show Bruce love and acceptance – complete acceptance.”

[From People]

I’m glad that Bruce’s transition is getting press like this, and that it’s mostly positive after the mocking tone that some of the tabloids took. I hope that, as Esther said yesterday, her son’s transition will help pave the way for greater understanding and acceptance of trans people. I also hope that Bruce can provide a public face to the trans movement. As an aside, I’ve been watching the excellent Amazon show Transparent, (for which both Jeffrey Tambor and the show won Golden Globes) and Tambor’s character, Maura, transitions late in life just as Bruce is doing. I know Bruce’s journey isn’t the same, and that we can’t understand completely from a TV show, but I think it will go a long way toward helping increase awareness. (Incidentally, the plot for Transparent was inspired by creator Jill Soloway’s father, who came out as transgender.)

Also, I want to say something about pronouns. If Bruce wants to be referred to as she, we will do that. The People article, presumably approved by Bruce’s people, refers to him using the male pronoun. When Bruce expresses a stance on the matter, we will honor that.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com