Before Caitlyn Jenner there was Carlotta.

Caitlyn Jenner’s story has highlighted the plight of transgender people. She has increased awareness and allowed the world to see that they are no different to any other man or woman. We see Caitlyn Jenner and applaud her bravery at coming out to the world. She has become a spokeswoman for the transgender community. But before Caitlyn Jenner there was Carlotta. An amazing woman who came out in an era of non-acceptance and prejudice. To me, she is the hero. Carlotta says it must have been hard for Caitlyn, having been an Olympian, and American sports hero, to turn around and say,

“You know what, i’m actually a woman”.

However, it would have been decidedly more difficult for Carlotta. Her coming out was constantly thwarted in the conservative atmosphere of Australia in the 60’s and early 70’s. Whereas Caitlyn had her family and community support, Carlotta’s mother was unsupportive, her father all but disowned her and she was forced to undergo “shock therapy”. Wires were attached to her while she was forced to look at pornographic pictures , to try and “cure” her. Barbaric treatment of a person who just wanted to be the woman she was born to be.

The decision would have been  difficult for Caitlyn Jenner to make. Once she made that decision though, things came together for her, much easier than it was for Carlotta.Caitlyn Jenner is high profile. Her coming out was marketed, right down to the Vanity Fair cover.  Caitlyn had magazines waiting to do her make-up and hair and she was made “image ready” to be a cover girl. Talk shows were fighting over her first interview, giving her a platform to bring about awareness of the difficulties she had to overcome in her coming out, and of course she had the support of the public.

Caitlyn, as Bruce Jenner was already a celebrity from her Olympic achievements. She was placed 10th in the decathlon during the 1972 Olympic games in Munich. In 1976, Jenner won gold at the decathlon at the Montreal Olympics. Jenner then became a member of the Kardashian phenomena. Being famous already, Caitlyn had so much more to lose than Carlotta, but at the same time she had a much easier time of it due to the support she had, the era she lived in and the money available to her.

Carlotta on the other hand had less to lose. Carlotta, born Richard Byron, began her career as a member of cabaret show, Les Girls , in Kings Cross Sydney.The world was not watching her. there was no internet to persecute her and document her every move. Physically becoming a woman was more difficult for Carlotta. When Carlotta began drug treatment, the treatments were experimental and expensive, and the side effects unknown. After her gender reassignment which was a very new procedure at the time and riskier, the results were not guaranteed to be what she expected.

Caitlyn’s coming out was made to look so easy. Deceptive even. Photoshopped Vanity Fair covers, designer clothing, possibly even plastic surgery. A normal transgender person does not always have access to these luxuries.For a man becoming a woman, femininity is not as easily achieved as it appears for Caitlyn. Just as we are deceived by the true looks of models in a magazine, we are deceived by the femininity of Caitlyn Jenner. Transgender women could feel disappointment at not being able to live up to the idea of Caitlyn Jenner after seeing her pictures and photoshopped beauty. Carlotta is the real deal. Raw, beautiful, and proud. What you see is what you get. One can see Carlotta’s flaws and feel her difficulties,and admire them,without beautifying this already gorgeous woman.

Carlotta and Caitlyn Jenner are both brave women. Guiding the way to other transgender people afraid to be themselves. Carlotta though, overcame the obstacle that was a conservative, unmoving 60’s society. Carlotta I applaud your tenacity and resilience. How hard you fought to be true to yourself. Caitlyn Jenner had a yellow brick road. Carlotta had quicksand. Carlotta stood alone. Caitlyn was surrounded by an entourage. Both send the message to always be true to yourself.