The Bruce Jenner Republican moment

The reaction has been illuminating since his public GOP admission Friday night. The Washington Post noted that “only 21% of LGBT Americans” identify as Republican, as if that percentage wouldn’t far exceed the perception put out in the media. The Daily Beast’s Tim Teeman curiously thinks “the party stubbornly refuses to match the changing pace of social attitudes” and wonders if they might “move to reject, or mock, Bruce Jenner’s overtures” — unsurprisingly missing the early public support from conservatives.

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We’ll see if it’s the right Jenner will be rejected by, or, if he’s embraced by them, it’s instead the left that does the rejecting. We’ve seen this hollow diversity with those now boycotting the gay businessmen who dared to associate with Ted Cruz. Lena Dunham has displayed this selective tolerance as well.

There are, of course, still those in the Republican party who are anti-LGBT, or who would rather ignore the issues brought to the forefront in the Jenner interview. There is a chance the 2016 GOP field listens to this group and ignores Jenner and the opening he’s created for them — maybe that’s even the easy route.

But diversity is a two-way street. And if Jenner becomes as publicly conservative as he’s about to be publicly transgender, we’ll find out who truly is open-minded.

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