Why Caitlyn Jenner still loves and appreciates her time as Bruce

Caitlyn Jenner said she still loves her pretransition self.

In an interview with Tim Layden for a Sports Illustrated cover story, Caitlyn Jenner said she still has appreciation for her pretransition life.

Caitlyn, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, came out as a trans woman in April 2015 after decades of dealing with gender dysphoria.

Jenner told Layden she still loves Bruce.

“I loved Bruce,” Jenner said. “I still love him today. I like what he did and the way he set an example for hard work and dedication. I’m proud of that part of my life. But this woman was living inside me, all my life, and it reached the point where I had to let her live and put Bruce inside. And I am happier, these last 12 months, than I’ve ever been in my life.”

As Layden wrote, “Last spring, in the wake of Jenner’s announcing her transition, GLAAD (formerly an acronym for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation but now simply the organization’s title, representative of a broader mission that includes transgender people) issued a series of guidelines, including one that Jenner be referred to as Caitlyn or she or her, even in reference to the events of 1976. Most transgender people choose to leave their pretransition life—and name—far behind. Jenner, however, often talks about Bruce.

“‘Caitlyn doesn’t mind,’ says Nick Adams, director of programs, transgender media for GLAAD, and a transgender male. ‘She has this world of fame in her past. The fact that it doesn’t grate on her like it does most trans people is unique.’ With Jenner’s approval, in this story, the historical figure who won the gold medal in 1976 is referred to as Bruce and with male pronouns. The woman who lives now as Caitlyn is referenced with female pronouns.​”

Jenner, 66, won an Olympic gold medal in the 1976 Olympics.