Emerging as Caitlyn for Vanity Fair—From Bruce to Caitlyn

Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner has completed her transition to womanhood. The transgender athlete made her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair in a beautiful photo set entitled, "Call me Caitlyn" taken by Annie Leibovitz.

This debut follows months of speculation about the transition on the part of the public and April's high-profile interview with Diane Sawyer of ABC; during that conversation Jenner declared, "I'd have been so mad at myself if I never explored that side of me. For all intents and purposes, I'm a woman."

Jenner told Vanity Fair: "If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, 'You just blew your entire life.'" Her photo set featured images of her in a white corseted bodysuit.

Like about three-quarters of the 700,000 transgender American women, Jenner has not had genital surgery. However, she did undergo ten hours of painful facial surgery to feminize her face. But for Jenner, this pain is nothing compared to the pain she experienced living as a man.

"The uncomfortableness of being me never leaves all day long. I'm not doing this to be interesting, I'm doing this to live. I'm not doing this so I can hit it off the women's tee."

Although various media have made much of Vanity Fair's use of the pronoun she, in reality this is the preferred terminology for transgender people, regardless of their place on the transitioning continuum.

Jenner's debut has been very public, and many experts point out that there is no alternative for transgender celebrities. Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman, who represented Chaz Bono when he transitioned in 2009, explains:

"The thing you have to understand about people like Caitlyn and Chaz is most people do this privately," said Bragman, founder and CEO of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations. "Public people don't get the luxury of doing that. It takes an extra amount of courage for them to do it, and to do it with class, and that's exactly what Caitlyn has done."

No matter your level of celebrity, transitioning is a difficult process.

"Even with the position Caitlyn is in and the positive reaction that seems to be surrounding her today, we can't forget that there are so many transgender people who don't have this environment, who are fearful just to step out of their homes or go to the grocery store or walk down the street every single day," said transgender woman Eden Lane, a PBS news anchor and producer for KBDI in Denver.

The emotional damage that the internal gender struggle wreaks on transgender people can take an enormous toll. But Lane feels that Jenner and people like her are helping the transgender community.

"When you know someone, it's easier to leave room in your heart and mind for them. To just be without fear of them or without hatred of them," Lane says. As a beloved public figure, we all "know" Jenner and will find it easier to accept her.

"To think she waited 65 years to come out if you will is a tragedy in itself," University of Southern California sociologist, Julie Albright says. "Keeping a secret like that for so many years is bound to take a psychological and even a physical toll on you."

Renee Richards, a transgender women who was among the first in the US to live openly, recently told GQ that it is Jenner will receive more support than she did in the 1970s. Like Jenner, Richards was an athlete and parent. In fact, she had to sue in order to participate in the US Open in 1977. Even doctors she approached for help transitioning were non-plussed by Richards' requests.

"It was too scary for them," Richards says. "They couldn't fathom how someone who had been so supremely successful in everything, in medicine, in sports, in life, as a heterosexual man, as a husband, as a father, they couldn't understand that. In this day and age they would understand."

So far, Richards seems to be right about the level of support Jenner will enjoy.

Jenner made her own announcement on Twitter yesterday: "I'm so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can't wait for you to get to know her/me."

Within 45 minutes of the tweet, Jenner's account showed 180,000 followers; at the time of this writing she has 1.91 million. Although her announcement received more than its share of critical responses, Jenner has received major praise from many including President Obama.

"It takes courage to share your story. Your story matters in the fight for LGBT rights," the President said in his response to Caitlyn's tweet.

Jenner's younger daughters have also publicly supported her. Stepdaughter Khloe Kardashian Instagrammed: "We were given this life because you were strong enough to live it. I couldn't be prouder. Caitlyn, You are beautiful."

Daughter Kendall Jenner, a model, said: "Now that's a cover."

Many celebrities have spoken in support of Jenner and her transition, including Alyssa Milano, Demi Moore, Ellen DeGeneres, Kerry Washington, Lady Gaga, Lena Dunham, and Susan Sarandon.

Although Jenner has already begun work on a reality television series documenting her transition, her four older children will not be participating.

Jenner explained her decision to film the show to Vanity Fair: "I'm doing it to help my soul and help other people. You don't go out and change your gender for a television show."

Now the world eagerly awaits what comes next for Caitlyn Jenner.