The story of Caitlyn Jenner has brought a lot of awareness to people that may not know much about the transgender life. But her transition is not a full depiction of what it is actually like to be a transgender person. According to tgender.net the cost of hormones alone for both female to male, or male to female, costs about $1,500 for every vile without insurance coverage. Top and bottom surgery costs around $17,000, not including costs for the hospital stay and medications given for the surgeries.

Given that Caitlyn Jenner has had quite a bit of success over the years, she has obtained millions and millions of dollars. The cost of her transition is as affordable as a typical teenager buying a candy bar. She has so much money, that paying $20,000 for her transition is not financially difficult for her.

But for many transgender people, transitioning can take a lifetime, or may not even happen at all due to financial circumstances. Most have to work for years and years to even begin thinking about transitioning. Just the cost to get a legal name and gender change is around $300.

From my firsthand experience of being transgender, I know completely what it is like to face the challenges of both the financial issues and the hardships when it comes to society and being accepted. I come from a middle to lower class family, and we have faced some financial hardships due to the expenses of my transition. Not only that, but the social aspect of even just making friends can be difficult.

  Yes, Caitlyn Jenner has shown the world what transgender is, educating those who have not previously been exposed to it. But her transition does not show the struggles that most face everyday. Out of almost 700,000 transgender people surveyed on marieclaire.com, 20 percent have been homeless, 19 percent were rejected or abused by their family, 26 percent lost their job due to discrimination, and 41 percent attempted suicide.

With the money that Caitlyn Jenner has, she will most-likely never be homeless. And, as seen on her television show “I Am Cait,” her family is quite accepting.

So the next time you see her on the cover of a magazine or accepting an award, remember that though Jenner has helped bring awareness to the transgender community, she cannot relay all of the difficulties for the typical transitioning person.