Caitlyn Jenner Takes Half-Step Toward RNC Appearance

Caitlyn Jenner isn't wavering in her support for Republicans; she just booked an appearance in Cleveland, the site of the Republican National Convention, two days after the confab begins on July 18.

Jenner will appear at a "Big Tent Brunch" hosted by groups like Equality Ohio and socially-liberal conservatives, including the American Unity Fund and the Log Cabin Republicans, the latter being an LGBT GOP organization. Former talk show host Montell Williams, a Republican LGBT rights supporter, will introduce Jenner at the event, which will call for the party to embrace queer rights in its new platform.

Jenner, once an avid supporter of antigay, anti-trans Texas senator/failed Republican presidential nominee Ted Cruz, recently expressed admiration for presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. Jenner said she believes Trump is "very much for women" -- something that Rosie O'Donnell and even Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly may find laughable -- and an opponent of North Carolina's House Bill 2, which struck down gay rights laws in the state and mandated which public restrooms transgender people can use; Trump recently defended HB2.

"The party conventions are like the political Olympics, and I'm excited to be headed to Cleveland to stand with my fellow LGBT Republicans and allies," Jenner said in a statement sent to The Daily Beast (the website's editor-in-chief is married to the moderator of the Cleveland brunch). "As a proud Republican and transgender woman, I want to support courageous Republicans who advocate for LGBT freedom. Our country's nondiscrimination laws must be updated and this cannot be achieved without bipartisan support. Congress needs to act, along with almost thirty Republican states, to update our nondiscrimination laws. I want to do my part to persuade more Republicans to support freedom for millions of LGBT Americans."

It's unclear if Jenner will attend the actual convention, but it could sure use some star power. Though politicians like Cruz are finally agreeing to be part of the event, celebrity confirmations are more difficult to come by. Trump is reportedly wooing convicted rapist Mike Tyson to be part of the convention.