I Am Cait: We Watched Caitlyn Jenner's Emotional Premiere & Here's Why Everyone Needs to Follow Her Journey

Her story is more powerful than you can imagine

By Brett Malec, Lauren Piester Jul 23, 2015 6:00 PMTags
Caitlyn Jenner, ESPY AwardsKevin Winter/Getty Images

There are so many candid, must-see moments in this Sunday's premiere episode of E!'s I Am Cait. And believe me, I've seen it and I know.

Fans will get an intimate look at Caitlyn Jenner meeting daughter Kylie Jenner for the first time. Kanye West has a surprising reaction to seeing Caitlyn all glammed up in person for the first time. And to watch Caitlyn's mom Esther learn to accept her new daughter will surely bring tears to your eyes.

But candid moments aside, there's one thing about I Am Cait that makes it so much more than entertaining TV.

In Sunday's episode, Caitlyn tells the story of Kyler Prescott, a 14-year-old trans boy from San Diego who committed suicide this year. Caitlyn pays a personal visit to Prescott's home to meet with his mother Katharine Prescott.

Watch: Caitlyn Jenner Shares Concern for the Trans Community

"He was going to get there and he was going to do amazing things," Katharine says of her late son. "He was young. He was still just 14. At that age, they just don't realize they're going to get through it, they can get through it, they can get to these wonderful things on the other side."

Just days after Kyler's death, his new birth certificate with his name and correct gender arrived. Kyler never got to hold his real birth certificate in his hands. If only he had held on for 36 more hours, that gift would have given him enough hope to make it through his struggles.

"It's so hard for young people, because they just don't...they can't see the future and because of that they become extraordinarily desperate, and suicide becomes an option," Caitlyn says. "We have to do something about that."

Sadly, Kyler isn't alone. Many, many more young trans people tragically commit suicide or attempt to take their own lives. Caitlyn Jenner is here for those young people. Caitlyn is here to tell their stories. But most importantly, Caitlyn is here to tell her story, and it's an amazing one. One she wants you to join her on.

—Brett Malec

E!

I had tears in my eyes throughout all of the I Am Cait premiere.

They were happy tears, of course, because there was nothing sad about it. It was actually one of the happiest reality show experiences I've ever had, and that's because Caitlyn Jenner just seems like she has rays of sunshine coming out of her ears.

It's amazing how much of a difference it makes when a person gets to live the life they want to live and the life they always believed they should be living, and that difference is apparent even when Caitlyn is nervous about a visit from her mom, or freaking out a bit when Kylie calls her on FaceTime unexpectedly.

Behind the nerves and the anxiety, there's still this unimpeded and infectious joy, and it makes the show even more compelling, as if maybe there's a whole world full of people who could also be that happy if they can just figure out how to be who they really want to be.

I'm a bit jealous, actually, of how positively free Caitlyn seems at all times, even when she's lounging in the backseat of her third car of the day in an effort to escape paparazzi, or just working her way through her closet.

I want to be that gleeful while going through my closet—not because of the kinds of clothes it's filled with, but because I feel free to wear whatever might be in there, whether I pull it off or not.

That may seem like somewhat of a shallow sentiment compared to everything else Caitlyn is going through, but that closet is clearly a huge part of her life now, especially after so many years of living with a family full of fashion-forward women. There's something so real and important about watching her go through it with Kim Kardashian, just showing off the designer duds that she can now wear whenever and wherever she wants.

The premiere is actually pretty heavy on the beauty routines, in a sweet way. Caitlyn's hairdresser is always hard at work on the hair Caitlyn could never really grow out before, or she's getting her make-up done in a way she never could before, or she's talking about clothes she can finally wear out in public.

Caitlin just looks good, inside and out, top to bottom. She's got a skip in her step that we all deserve to have, and it's going to be a true pleasure to watch her take even more steps as the journey continues.

It is also a true pleasure to watch anything in which Kanye walks into a house, says "What up," spouts some profound wisdom, then shows off his "sock shoes," but that's just an added bonus.

—Lauren Piester