Caitlyn Jenner's 2016 Republican National Convention Speech: 5 Major Highlights

Caitlyn Jenner has spoken out before about the flak she’s gotten for being a conservative Republican in Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean she’s shying away from politics.
The I Am Cait star not only attended the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, but she
delivered a powerful speech at the “Big Tent Brunch,” an event supporting LGBT rights hosted by the American Unity Fund.
“It was easy to come out as trans,” she told the audience. “It was harder to come out as a Republican!”
Here are five major takeaways from Caitlyn’s passionate speech.

1. Why She’s a Republican: In answering a question about her reasons for supporting the party, Caitlyn told an emotional story about her late father William, a member of the 5th Ranger Battalion. “He was a real good man,” said Caitlyn. “[I think] if my dad knew what was going on with this country when he fought so hard and so man people died around him…I think he’d be very disappointed.”
“So because of that,” she continued, “I feel like our best hope to get back to a Constitutional government with 18 enumerated powers is in the Republican party.”
2. How the Party Has Let Her Down: Caitlyn admitted she’s “been very disappointed over the last five, 10 years” over the Republican party’s take on certain social issues, but she “won’t give up hope” that the organization will move closer toward her beliefs.
3. How She Hopes to Help: Caitlyn said she finds the Democratic party “does a better job” than the Republican party when it comes to matters specific to the LGBT community. But she has a game plan in mind for the future of the Republican party.

“I think the Republican party needs to understand—they need to know people who are trans,” she said. “There are actually trans people out in this audience right now that you have no idea that they’re trans…So, I’m here today, since most people don’t know anybody who’s trans, [so you can] get to know somebody.”
4. It’s About the Next Generation: Caitlyn isn’t raising awareness about social and political issues for her own sake. “It’s not about me,” she said. “It’s not about the other older trans people that have been out there for a while…”
Instead? “It’s about the kid,” she said. “It’s about the next generation growing up…We have to provide a safe environment for them, and that’s by far the most important thing.”
5. She’s Optimistic: No person or party is perfect, Caitlyn noted, but that doesn’t mean you quit trying to improve things. “I’m not giving up on this country,” she told the audience. “I’m not giving up on our constitution. I want this country to thrive. I want this country to be the best place in the world to do business, I want jobs for everybody, I want jobs for the trans community, and so hopefully we can all make some positive changes if we all work together.”