Blossom Brown, a senior at Mississippi University for Women, received the shock of her life Sunday night when on the TV show, “I Am Cait,” Caitlyn Jenner promised to pay Brown’s way through nursing school.
“I just broke down crying,” Brown said.
Brown, a transgender woman from Jackson, appeared in the most recent episode of the show, which documents Jenner’s transition to a woman. Brown came into contact with Jenner because of her work with the Human Rights Campaign, an organization which promotes LGBT rights.
When not studying public health at MUW, Brown travels to conferences across the U.S. She uses the events as a platform to talk about health issues faced by the transgender community, an issue she hopes to address in her career as a health specialist.
The “I Am Cait” episode Brown appeared in was filmed in San Francisco at the beginning of the summer. Brown spent several days there. In addition to telling her story before the camera, she rode bikes and had dinner with Jenner.
“The experience has been amazing,” she said.
Brown said she has applied to nursing schools six different times and has yet to be accepted, though she was put on the waiting list for the program at MUW.
On “I Am Cait,” Brown said she believes the reason she has not been accepted is because she is transgender.
Sunday’s episode featured Brown sitting with Jenner and telling her about the everyday experiences of transgender individuals. Brown pointed out that Jenner, because of her celebrity and socio-economic status, does not necessarily experience the same difficulties as ordinary people.
‘I’m about helping anyway possible’
Brown has wanted to be a nurse since she was a child. At first she wanted to focus on geriatrics, because she thinks the elderly are not treated as well as they should be. Now her focus is on addressing health issues in the transgender community.
“I’m about helping our community in anyway possible,” she said.
She told Jenner about how difficult it is for her to see her friends get into nursing school. In a scene just after Brown’s interview, Jenner announced that she intended to call Ellen Degeneres and arrange for Brown to appear on her show. She also promised to pay Brown’s way through nursing school, if she is accepted.
The announcement was a shock to Brown who was watching the show Sunday night. Brown jumped up, crying and hugging a friend she was watching with, and spent the next few minutes telling friends and family who called her to call her back after the episode was over so that she could finish watching it. She received congratulatory phone calls from her mother and her aunt in Memphis, as well as others offering support.
“There was a lot of love and support,” she said.
‘Don’t give up’
She can not decide which she’s more excited about — the prospect of being on Degeneres’ show or Jenner’s offer to pay for her schooling. She added that she’s been trying just to get a place in the audience of The Ellen Degeneres Show for years.
She also said “I Am Cait” has been influential in educating people about the transgender community and alerting them to the issues people like her and Jenner face — issues like the high unemployment rate of transgender individuals and the high murder rate of transgender women of color. She added that she has received phone calls and emails from people all over the world telling her they have learned a lot from watching the show or hearing her speak at one of the many conferences she attends on LGBT rights.
She wants the rest of the world to give her and other transgender individuals a chance, she said. They’re not simply transgender — they’re doctors, lawyers, teachers students and everyone else.
“Get to know us,” she said. “You’re missing out on good people.”
Brown graduates from MUW in December. From there, she plans to go to grad school in Washington, D.C. She also intends to apply for nursing school again.
“And if I fail again, what’s wrong with getting my masters in public health? Nothing,” she said.
She also had a message for other transgender individuals and anyone struggling with their sexual identity.
“Don’t give up hope,” she said. “We all have goals and we all have dreams. The reality is sometimes we fail at those, but that doesn’t mean we just stop and give up. You have to dust yourself off, try again, become wiser, learn from your mistakes. Don’t give up.”
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