In a recent interview with on UBN Radio – that is, “One on One With Jasper Cole” — I spoke openly about the state of the trans community along with its newest and most high-profiled member, Caitlyn Jenner. However, an online media outlet erroneously misquoted me, saying that because of recent backlash, Caitlyn Jenner has harmed the trans community. This is untrue.

To set the record straight, below is a copy of my statement on the matter, clarifying my comments. Forgive me for speaking about myself in third person with the statement below.

On the relatability of Caitlyn Jenner:
Broadus said it’s hard for most trans people to relate to Caitlyn Jenner because they make less than $10K a year, and don’t have access to the same resources. “They cannot get a job because people will not hire us,” he said. “Most of us are in the shadows, (and work the) underground economy.” He added, “Her story doesn’t connect people to them – that are trans.”

On the backlash of Caitlyn Jenner:
In talking about the visibility of Caitlyn Jenner, Broadus said, “I think it’s a mixed bag.” “I think that Caitlyn has raised the visibility on one hand, and she’s certainly reached a dollar level of people we would have never reached before. On the other hand, there’s always a danger when people, anyone comes out.”

Broadus sympathetically said that Caitlyn Jenner has stumbled in the press with her remarks, but it’s part of the learning curve of being trans. He continued, “There’s a lot of self learning that goes with this (transitioning) and there is no manual.”

He added the trans community is sadly suffering from the backlash of visibility, because the majority of trans people have no rights, and “most of them are homeless, starving, and without jobs.”

On the positive side, the “visibility brings the dialogue, and as I said, Caitlyn has taken us to a different … income level of people that say ‘Wow, this can happen to anybody. This can be in my home,’” he said.

As being trans becomes more mainstream, Broadus said the backlash is to be expected. “It’s like the storm before the calm,” he said.

About the visibility of the trans community:
Despite a banner year of visibility for trans people, “most trans people are not employed because we’re discriminated against in employment, in housing and in public,” said Broadus.

“We’ve come a long way, baby!” he said, “but, there’s a long way to go.”

On anti-transgender violence:
Broadus addressed the record year for anti-transgender violence, saying “we’re in a crisis. We are in an epidemic; actually a pandemic that spans the globe in that brown and black bodies particularly in the trans movement are being killed,” he said. “We are treated as non human.”

For more of Broadus interview, visit www.ubnradio.com, also available on iTunes at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sylva-kelegian-skylar-broadus/id1015516501?i=357762748&mt=2