Bruce Jenner is now a woman. The public is reacting uproariously- emotions ranging from congratulatory acceptance to forthright disgust. Caitlyn Jenner made her debut when Vanity Fair released the front cover photo for this month’s magazine.

The notorious “Call me Caitlyn” caption and the shocking photo of Jenner with wavy long hair in a white bustier caused an uproar throughout the world. The photo spread like wildfire in social media and was covered on several news broadcasts.

Following Bruce Jenner’s‘”I Am A Woman” interview with Diane Sawyer in April, there was an immense amount of backlash directed towards Jenner and divided opinions have arisen. Despite many commendations, criticisms abound.

Many simply disapprove with the choice on a fundamental level. A large portion of the population is uncomfortable or unfamiliar with transgender people, and see Jenner’s switch as the manifestation of a perpetual problem in society- the tendency of media to embrace more liberal concepts such as the LGBT community’s lifestyle, that oppose the traditional image of sexuality and gender identity.

The issue is also exacerbated by Jenner’s image. While one generation sees her as the picture of masculinity, an undoubtedly male Olympic decathlon star, another simply sees her as a Kardashian. The antics of a reality star and of a sports star are viewed differently, and and preconceptions can easily amplify or minimize the notion.

Along with the transphobic audience, a lot of the criticism derives from Bruce Jenner’s past athletic career as an eminent track and field star. The public is arguing that if Jenner had always identified herself as a woman, then she should not have competed as a male. There are petitions being signed in attempts to strip Jenner of her athletic achievements and medals. Some are even encouraging her to personally return the titles as a former track and field athlete.

Additionally, much of the controversy is centered around Jenner’s recent selection as a recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPYS. Many believe that she doesn’t deserve the award, and that other nominees such as Lauren Hill and Noah Galloway are more fitted to the honor. The problem with this judgement is that there weren’t nominees. The way the award works is an autonomous decision is made by ESPN to honor one person for their bravery. This is not to say that she is any more brave or less brave than Galloway and Hill, and many other deserving, valiant people.

On the contrary, Jenner has become an inspiration to much of the world. Her brave decision touched the hearts of many, and their support can be seen in the social media outpour that ensued following her big reveal. The tag #CallMeCaitlyn began trending worldwide, accompanied by an overwhelming amount of praise and positivity. The iconic image of Jenner in her Vanity Fair cover shoot was extremely prevalent and fans and stars alike applauded her transformation. Despite being in the spotlight, Jenner had the courage to defy social norms in order to be happy, people respect that. Supporters believe that as an esteemed luminary, it must have taken an immense amount of bravery for her to shed her guise as the macho athletic idol and bare her true identity to the world.

Jenner’s identity was indeed a well-hidden secret. In her Diane Sawyer interview, she revealed a strong intrinsic gravitation towards all things feminine- she reportedly began crossdressing at a young age, and identified but privatized her gender dysphoria. There were some close calls. In the mid-1980’s, Jenner had to turn to a seasoned publicist and handler of PR crises by the name of Alan Nierob for help. A New York Times reporter was attempting to write a story about Jenner’s crossdressing habits and Nierob skillfully shut it down.

Now, about 30 years later, Jenner has turned to Nierob for a different kind of publicity assistance. Neirob has been the guide behind the campaign to explain Jenner’s transformation. The masterfully-executed plan began late last fall. The highly anticipated ABC interview with Diane Sawyer was the first promotion of Jenner’s upcoming docuseries, “I am Cait.”

Jenner began hormone therapy after the end of her second marriage, but abruptly stopped when she began dating Kris Kardashian. After their divorce, in addition to restarting hormone therapy, Jenner underwent a 10-hour facial feminization surgery in March of this year. The operation reportedly took twice as long as expected, but Jenner believes it was worth the risk. As of now, she has not had gender reassignment surgery.

Jenner is not alone. According to the Gender Centre, about one in every 2,500 males in the United States has already undergone gender reassignment surgery to become female. This statistic does not account for trans male-to-females who haven’t had the surgery, such as Jenner herself.

Transsexualism is not as rare as it is often portrayed to be. With the step that she has taken, Jenner has not only been true to herself, but true to the entire LGBT community. Normalcy can only be attained through exposure.

Here’s to hoping that the exposure of Jenner’s true identity can help people be more accepting of the trans community, and help the trans community be more accepting of themselves.