Caitlyn Jenner Slammed by Transgender Advocates: 'You're A Traitor'

Caitlyn Jenner is under fire for critical tweets she posted about transgender athletes in school locker rooms, but others support her political position as a conservative transgender woman.

The former star of Keeping Up With the Kardashians is herself a transgender woman but has been accused of working against the very community of which she's a member.

In the Monday tweet, Jenner referenced a controversy unfolding in Vermont. Members of a high school volleyball team who lodged complaints against a transgender teammate have reportedly been barred from their own locker room.

"We cannot have biological boys with penises changing next to our daughters in locker rooms, and then have our daughters scolded by the school. This is so backwards. Shame on Vermont!" Jenner tweeted.

Several minutes later, she followed up with an addendum.

"I will continue advocating for common sense solutions no matter what, esp on the trans in sports and schools stories becoming all too common, b/c of the radical left," Jenner continued. "I am an American, that loves my country and hates to see it going down the tubes to these radical leftists!"

Earlier that day, the former Olympic champion spoke about the Vermont locker room scandal on Fox News, where she serves as a contributor. Jenner claimed that the left is "driving this country apart" and that they've "hijacked and politicized yet another minority group in our wonderful country, the good old U.S.A."

She's long pushed for "integrity" in sports, arguing that transgender girls have an unfair biological advantage.

Jenner's latest remarks have sparked outrage on social media, particularly among LGBTQ+ activists and celebrities.

Plastic Martyr, a trans actress and model, called out the reality TV star in a scathing tweet.

"Caitlyn Jenner you are an embarrassment to this beautiful & courageous community, your well manicured, privileged hand is stabbing us in the back every time you try to seduce the very people who are trying to erase us," the actress wrote on Tuesday. "You're a traitor."

Activist Andrew Wortman also blasted Jenner over her remarks, which come at a time when state legislatures countrywide are cracking down on transgender rights.

"A trans woman says we must single out, target, and penalize trans children for existing. Shame on YOU," Wortman tweeted.

Others argued that Democrats aren't the ones attempting to roll back the clock on transgender rights.

"It's because of 'radical leftists' that you were legally able to transition," Twitter user @LisaBWatson wrote in response to one of Jenner's tweets.

Yet supporters say that Jenner has done much to help the trans community. The star's Caitlyn Jenner Foundation claims to fight discrimination by giving grants to various pro-trans organizations. The Advocate reported in 2018 that Jenner had donated a total of $85,000 to several LGBTQ charities in Arizona.

During the 2015 ESPYs, she also raised awareness about the struggles transgender people endure, including bullying and suicide, while accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

A member of Jenner's team who wished to remain unnamed told Newsweek that the star's critics frequently shun members of the transgender and Black communities who happen to be conservative.

The source added that some people may simply never accept Jenner because of her privilege as a wealthy celebrity—despite her work for trans causes and the fact that she reaches a huge audience on Fox who otherwise may not have heard a transgender person's perspective before.

Jenner's outspokenness and conservative views have angered many over the years. The celeb has claimed that she'll support former President Donald Trump should he choose to run again in 2024. She's also aspired to political office, appearing as a Republican on the ballot during last year's California gubernatorial recall election. Jenner received around 1 percent of the vote.

Critics accuse conservatives of being the primary drivers behind the effort to rein in trans rights, but Jenner has said she's pushing the GOP to become more inclusive.

Because Jenner is a Republican, she's been condemned by many in her own community, according to Suzanne Chod, a political science professor and coordinator of Gender and Sexuality Studies at North Central College.

"Some of her political preferences have seemed incompatible with advocacy for transgender rights," Chod wrote to Newsweek. "Her support for President Trump and her short-lived run for California governor for example, caused trans rights groups to question her commitment to trans rights."

Chod also notes that Jenner has pushed for laws that would prevent trans girls from playing on girls' sports teams. The conservative celebrity's controversial tweet insinuated that only cisgender girls are girls, which "conflates sex and gender and perpetuates misperceptions and misinformation."

To be sure, the transgender community isn't monolithic, and Jenner is entitled to her opinions, Chod said. But thanks to her platform, Jenner's stances and choice of language surrounding certain issues could undercut the broader movement for transgender rights.

"It just makes it that much harder for a community that is constantly trying to correct misperceptions and misinformation about sex and gender and is fighting for equal rights under the law and equal treatment in society," Chod said. "While the trans community is accustomed to this, when the call is coming from inside the house, so to speak, it sets them back."