Caitlyn Jenner Transformation Won't Change Who Bruce Was as a Father, Says Franklin Graham
The Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham and president of international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, took to Facebook this week to let his followers know that Olympic gold medalist and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star Bruce Jenner's transformation into a woman named Caitlyn will not change who he is on the inside or improve his relationship with his children.
Graham referred to the recent Vanity Fair interview where Jenner revealed his new identity. Jenner's son, Burt, spoke to the publication about his rocky relationship with his father and his hope that his transformation to Caitlyn will improve it.
"At the end of the day there's no way I can get around it. I am ungodly thankful and I feel very fortunate to not have had my father in my life. … I learned how to open doors and shake hands and look people in the eye. Things that my dad never would taught me," said Burt to Vanity Fair.
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"I have high hopes that Caitlyn is a better person than Bruce. I'm very much looking forward to that," he added.
In a Facebook post, however, Graham said Bruce Jenner's physical transformation will not do anything to improve the character of Caitlyn.
"I have news for them — changing the outside doesn't change the inside. No man-made modification can fix what's wrong with the heart. Only God can fix the human heart. If we ask for His forgiveness and accept by faith His Son, Jesus Christ, He will wipe the slate clean," Graham wrote Tuesday.
Jenner's daughter, Cassandra, took it a step further in a recent People magazine interview by actually stating that her relationship with Caitlyn is better than it was with Bruce.
"We didn't talk for years, and now we see each other every couple of weeks and talk on the phone, which I am grateful for," Cassandra told People. "She's happier and more appreciative of her family. She is trying harder and there is a softness to Caitlyn that is new to me."
Bruce Jenner first revealed that he identifies as a woman during an interview last month with ABC's Diane Sawyer after months of speculation created by paparazzi photos showing him wearing nail polish.
This week, Jenner revealed Caitlyn in the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine posing in makeup and women's clothing.
"Bruce always had to tell a lie, he was always living that lie. Every day he always had a secret. From morning until night. Caitlyn doesn't have any secrets. As soon as the Vanity Fair cover comes out, I'm free," said Jenner in a promo video for the magazine.
