Over the past several weeks, rumors have circulated regarding the sexuality of Olympic athlete and reality television star Bruce Jenner. The former husband of Kris Jenner of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Bruce Jenner has recently been spotted out and about with shaved legs, longer hair and fuller lips.

That’s because, with the blessing of his mother and the assistance of modern medicine, Bruce Jenner is reportedly undergoing a sex change. 

I think it’s Bruce Jenner’s business what he does with his body. I could not care less about how much estrogen he is taking or how his ex-wife, Kris, feels about the transformation. But the rest of the world does. 

I understand Bruce Jenner is a celebrity, and I understand the media is likely to seize details about his personal life and render them in an intriguing way to attract viewers. I get people want to hear about his life and those of his family members. “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” allows viewers to peer through the windows of a home that is, for the most part, praised by modern culture, and say, “Oh, my home life isn’t so dysfunctional after all.” It allows them to critique outfits, make jabs at plastic surgery and judge relationships, all from the comfort of their own home. It gives people something to talk about.

While I understand the appeal of this type of show, I think “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is a dangerous form of entertainment. It reduces people to ratings and conversations to plot points. I believe Bruce Jenner’s sex change will only add fuel to the fire to this serious reduction of personhood.

It is my prediction that, as he continues down the path to sex change, Bruce Jenner will no longer be Bruce Jenner: former Olympic athlete, step-father of Kim Kardashian, ex-husband of Kris Jenner, reality television star. Bruce Jenner will quickly become less of a person and more of a symbol for gay rights and equality. All previous accomplishments and life decisions will pale in comparison to his enormous decision to undergo a sex change.

This is not to say that sex changes are miniscule by any stretch of the imagination. I simply wish to point out that, as the media begins to define Bruce Jenner’s career as an athlete and celebrity by his sexuality, the general public will inevitably begin to define others by their sexuality, which is what I so strongly oppose. This manipulation of one’s identity according to his or her sexuality is what I believe is the biggest problem in today’s fight for gender equality. People are so caught up in reducing one another to a single aspect of their personhood that they often neglect seeing one another as fellow human beings in exchange for labeling someone as “gay,” or “straight,” or “bisexual” or “transgender.” These labels are polarizing, and they push homosexual people further and further away from feeling accepted in today’s society. Whittling down one’s story to a single aspect of his or her personhood is wrong, regardless of the side of the gay rights movement upon which you fall.