Two years after announcing she was transgender in a groundbreaking 20/20 interview, Caitlyn Jenner sat down with Diane Sawyer and revealed another shocker. Jenner confirmed she has had the “final surgery.”
Caitlyn reconnected with Sawyer to discuss the ups and downs of life after her transition. In the interview that aired Friday (Apr. 21), she also confirmed to the world that she underwent gender confirmation surgery in January 2017. This means her genitalia also now aligns with her gender identity.
“I do mention in the book everything I did. But I wasn’t less of a woman the day before I had the surgery than I was the day after I had the surgery, because that did not define who I am as a human being.”
Due to leaked excerpts from her memoir earlier this month, it was reported that Jenner had undergone reassignment surgery. However, an official statement had yet to be made.
Just as she writes in the book, she tells Sawyer that this will be the only time she discusses the surgery as it is a personal and private matter for her as well as for other transgendered people.
“That doesn’t mean in the future that I have to talk about it, that I’m going to dwell. The media may but I’m not going to dwell on that subject. And I would make a suggestion to all people out there — don’t ask the question. It’s not an appropriate question to ask any transperson.”
The 67-year-old explains in the memoir, The Secrets of My Life (which will be released Apr. 25), why she made the difficult decision to have the surgery despite the health risks.
So why even consider it? Because it’s just a penis. It has no special gifts or use for me other than what I have said before, the ability to take a whiz in the woods, I just want to have all the right parts. I am also tired of tucking the damn thing in all the time.
I am telling you because I believe in candor. So all of you can stop staring. You want to know, so now you know. Which is why this is the first time, and the last time, I will ever speak of it.
ABC News reports that “only a small percentage of transgender people go on to get what is called the ‘final surgery.’”
