She’s with her! Caitlyn Jenner met presidential candidate Hillary Clinton while in Iowa for the Des Moines Democratic debate, and managed to play nice after throwing huge amounts of shade her way. Meanwhile, Jenner’s 18-year-old friend, Ella Giselle, was stood up by her high school crush at Caitlyn’s alma mater, while trans activist Kate Bornstein made a shocking revelation about her estranged daughter.
Ella Faces Her Past
Small world! Ella was all kinds of nervous when she found out that the group would be making a pit stop at Graceland University, Caitlyn’s alma mater, which also happens to be the school that Ella’s high school crush attends. Sadly, he refused to show up on camera, which was a tough pill for Ella to swallow.
“The fact that [name redacted] didn’t come kinda showed me that … I mean, I don’t know if it really showed me anything,” Ella told the camera. “He might have just been nervous, you know? You can’t blame him for that.”
The good news is that Ella’s crush has a best friend named Michael, and not only did he show up, he was insanely sweet about the first time he saw Ella post-transition. “First thing I thought was, ‘Oh, maybe she transferred from a different school,'” he explained to the group. “I was kinda in awe that she came out like that. I thought it was very bold.” Aww, this guy!
Caitlyn Most Definitely Does Not #FeelTheBern
Jenner & Co. hit Drake University for the Democratic debate, and conservative Caitlyn wasted no time insulting Hillary Clinton’s politics. “[We’ll] see all the free stuff Hillary gives out,” she said. “That’s all she does. She never says how we’re gonna pay for it, but…”
The former Olympian also had no love for Bernie Sanders, claiming that “just like Obama, he doesn’t really appreciate this country.” Hmm, it’s fair for Caitlyn to voice her opinion, but her harsh comments caused Kate B. to say the group’s safe word: “God Bless America.”
So, what did Caitlyn have to say in her defense? “They keep talking about the top one percent, all these terrible people,” she explained. “I’m in the top one percent. I don’t even have Obamacare and I had to put $450,000 in there. The healthcare’s going to be worse, so I think we need a better tax structure.”
Caitlyn Meets Hillary, Totally Loves Her
Surprise! Caitlyn might not like Hillary’s politics, but she seemed thrilled to meet the presidential candidate (oh, and Bill Clinton, too). The LGBTQ advocate enthusiastically chatted about the group’s road trip, and Hillary seemed thrilled, saying, “I just want you guys to have a great time and do great work.”
Performance artist Zachary Drucker pointed out that her friend was “starstruck,” and even Caitlyn seemed to agree, saying Hillary was “very sweet” and would be “very good on transgender civil rights.”
Caitlyn vs. The World
Caitlyn experienced some real-life drama when confronted by a group of protesters claiming she doesn’t represent the trans community. “Caitlyn Jenner, you’re an insult to all trans people. You don’t represent us,” said one woman. “You’re a disgrace to our community. You have no right to speak for us.”
She tried to calm down the protester by placing a hand on her shoulder and ended up being screamed at by the woman’s friend, who yelled, “Do not touch her. Don’t you f–king touch her.”
It was a scary moment for Caitlyn, and a reminder that there are a lot of people who don’t think her story accurately represents the realities of most trans women. However, the star later showed what a huge difference she can make by giving advice to a 13-year-old genderqueer teen. “Surround yourself with positive people, uplifting people, people who want to see you do well,” she said. “Anybody gives you any trash in your life, get ’em the hell out of your life.” Amen to that.
Why Isn’t Kate Allowed to See Her Daughter?
Caitlyn and her friends took part in a panel discussion at Graceland University, where they were peppered with questions about everything under the sun — including how they reconcile their religious beliefs with being transgender. The question gave Kate Bornstein an opportunity to talk about an issue close to her heart: her estranged daughter.
“My daughter is a high-ranking executive in the church of Scientology,” Kate said. “And to Scientologists, my trans-ness is proof that I am an evil person and should not be talked with. I haven’t seen her since she was 9, she’s now 42/43 years old.”
Fortunately, Kate’s learned a valuable lesson from her daughter’s estrangement. “Look for the heart of the doctrine you’re following, and if it’s at all mean, think twice before following it any further,” she explained. Preach.
Tell Us: Are you surprised that Caitlyn changed her mind about Hillary Clinton?
I Am Cait airs on E! on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
