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Bruce Jenner Comes Out as Transgender Woman: How Family, Celebrities Reacted

Former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner spoke publicly for the first time about being a transgender woman during an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer on Friday.
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/ Source: NBC News

Former Olympic champion and reality television star Bruce Jenner broke the silence on transitioning to a woman Friday, telling ABC's Diane Sawyer: "For all intents and purposes, I am a woman."

"I've been thinking about this day forever," a visibly emotional Jenner said.

"My brain is much more female than it is male," the 65-year-old replied, publicly stating for the first time what had been only rumored until now.

"I would say I've always been very confused with my gender identity," Jenner explained.

"I'm not gay. ...I've never been with a guy," Jenner said, explaining that gender identity was different than sexuality, and ultimately identifying as asexual.

Jenner admitted to taking hormones in the 1980s, but stopped the transition after getting worried about public reaction.

How Jenner's family reacted to the interview

Of all the famous reality show brood, Jenner said stepdaughter Kim Kardashian has been "by far the most accepting," but it took some convincing from a surprising source.

Jenner said Kardashian credited her rapper husband Kanye West for turning her around by telling her: "I can be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am. I can have the most beautiful little daughter in the world, and I have that. But I'm nothing if I can't be me. If I can't be true to myself, they don't mean anything."

During the interview, Jenner noted that stepdaughter Khloe Kardashian was the family member most reluctant to the change at the time, but her tweets during airing seemed to show she had come around.

Jenner's ex-wife and matriarch of the Kardashian clan, Kris Jenner, was not part of the interview, but showed her support after it aired.

The former couple's youngest daughter, Kylie Jenner, had showed support earlier in the day with an Instagram photo. After the interview aired, she tweeted that she would talk more about her feelings at a later time, but wanted people to know she was proud of her dad.

Kylie's older sister Kendall Jenner posted a pair of short, but sweet notes of support.

Jenner's oldest stepdaughter, Kourtney Kardashian, also chimed in.

How others reacted

During and after the interview, celebrities and notable advocates also tweeted their support for Jenner's decision to speak openly about the transition.

IN-DEPTH

— Jillian Sederholm