Ever since former Olympic medalist and Kardashian dad Bruce Jenner revealed his transformation from being a man into a woman named Caitlyn Jenner in the cover of Vanity Fair, a lot of people have expressed strong views, either lauding or condemning his action.
One of them is Walt Heyer, a man who identifies himself as an "ex-transgender," who has advised Jenner to proceed with "caution" now that he has changed genders.
Heyer, who is also an author and blogger for The Federalist, told CNN during an interview that the thrill and excitement Jenner is feeling right now "doesn't always last."
Speaking from experience, Heyer said he felt he had been duped and tricked into thinking he was a woman. Heyer was born a man but underwent gender reassignment surgery to become a woman. On the outside, Heyer said he looked like a woman, but it was not real. In the end, he decided to change back into a man.
"The surgeons can make it look like you changed genders. But the fact of the matter is it's all cosmetic surgery. There's really no actual gender change," he said.
In a separate interview with The Christian Post, however, Heyer clarified that he "never declared Jenner was wrong to change his gender."
"I did suggest caution because I have received hundreds of emails from transgenders over the years who regret making the transition. The long-term outcomes are not always the best, and suicide is always a risk," Heyer warned.
He shared his ordeal in his books, and in one of his books he wrote: "Transgenders undergo hormone injections and irreversible surgeries in a desperate effort to feel better, yet they attempt and commit suicide at an alarming rate, even after treatment."
