Annie Leibovitz/Vanity Fair(NEW YORK) — Caitlyn Jenner introduced herself to the world Monday on the cover of Vanity Fair. While most of the attention remains focused on the photos of Caitlin, writer Buzz Bissinger reveals details about Jenner’s ongoing transition in the accompanying article, including how the former Olympian picked her new name.
Bissinger, who has been a journalist for 40 years, said on Tuesday’s Good Morning America: “She made a list of names, had a close friend make a list of names. Caitlyn was on both and folks, it’s Caitlyn with a C.”
Not surprisingly, Jenner’s family is grappling with the change, and Bissinger said Jenner’s sons have taken the transition the hardest. “Think about it. I wouldn’t want to see my mother dressed in a bustier, so this is their dad and it’s going to take a while for them to adjust,” he said. “There was concern expressed, ‘Are you making this into a spectacle? Are you going to draw bad attention to yourself?'”
Bissinger claims Jenner’s sons also declined to participate in a planned E! docu-series to detail his transition.
“They said, ‘No, Dad, we want you to have a legacy that is equal to that of Muhammad Ali, of an athlete who made cultural change. Don’t destroy that.'”
But Bissinger did say all 10 of Jenner’s children, from both the Jenner and Kardashian sides, will be there at the ESPY Awards to honor Caitlyn as she receives the Arthur Ashe Courage Award July 15.
So how’s Jenner coping? In the Vanity Fair article, Jenner admits she had a panic attack after undergoing facial feminization surgery, a procedure she thought would take five hours, but that took 10.
“She was scared, right after the surgery, the day after,” Bissinger explained. “She was scared to death. She was in a lot of pain, trying to get some sleep, then woke up in a terror and told the nurse, ‘Turn on the television. Do something. I need noise. I need sound.'”
Bissinger said Jenner also “began to pace up and down the hallways saying, ‘What have I done? What have I done to myself? I’ve waited 65 years but what if this isn’t the right decision,’ which occasionally can happen.”
But Bissinger said Jenner was able to meet with a counselor and realize this was the right choice. “And I think the great thing is now I just spoke to her, and it’s in the piece…’I’m free. I’m free. After 65 years, I’m free.'”
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
