There’s no question that Caitlyn Jenner has had one of the biggest years of any celebrity out there. And Out magazine is honoring the Olympian with the title of “Newsmaker of the Year” in its annual Out100 list.
Jenner, 66, who debuted as Caitlyn on the historic cover of Vanity Fair’s July issue, recently legally changed her name from Bruce.
“Yesterday was significant, because my name and gender change came through. Holy crap,” Jenner told Out in a new interview. “Here we are —honestly never knowing if this day would ever come. In some ways, it’s a little sad. Bruce was a good guy, did a lot of good things, raised a tremendous family and wonderful kids. But I just couldn’t play that game any longer.”
And though she has handled her transition with grace and managed to inspire many, the reality star did admit that saying goodbye to Bruce was tough.
“I actually cried a little bit about it,” she said. “I was on the golf course, off playing by myself. It was very exciting, but such a head trip.”
Not only is she new to the name Caitlyn, but Jenner is also new to the trans community. She’s even been called out several times on her E! docuseries, I Am Cait, about the use the pronouns “they” instead of “we.”
“I’ve never, ever been able to talk to anybody. I didn’t meet my first trans person until I did the show,” Jenner explained of the learning gap. “The only connection I had was watching YouTube videos. And during the ’70s and ’80s, and even through the ’90s, there wasn’t any of that.”
But these days, the ex of Kris Jenner is finally comfortable in her own skin.
“I feel like I have a place in life,” she said.
The Out100 issue hits stands on Nov. 17.