“And sometimes the media takes one comment out of context—or interprets it to mean something other than what I meant.

“In the last week many people have pointed out some mistakes I’ve made. My first reaction was to feel hurt, to wish people would give me more credit for having a big heart, and to know I don’t have a mean bone in my body. But as I’ve thought about it, I guess I’ve come to understand that maybe I have made some mistakes, and I need to make my real feelings more clear.

“This week a lot of attention was brought to my comments in my TIME interview, in which I said that my appearance is important to me, that I want people to be at ease when they encounter me, and that people are still uncomfortable if a trans person looks like ‘a man in a dress.’

“I think I caused a lot of hurt with this comment, and I’m truly sorry.

“What I was trying to say is that our world really is still a binary one, and that people who look “visibly transgender” sometimes can struggle for acceptance and may be treated poorly by others. And while this may be true, it’s also something that needs to change.”

Caitlyn goes on to explain that those who don’t want to conform to gender norms have “every right to look and present exactly as they choose”, admitting that she understands that her comments “probably” made her seem like all she “cares about is fashion, or makeup, or appearance.”

The star clarified: “I can tell you I really enjoy all of that—it’s who I am. It’s the world I come from, and as a person in the media I have certain expectations for myself. But I am only one person. There are a lot of ways of being trans.”

Poignantly rounding up the letter, Caitlyn acknowledges that this is “probably not the last time” she will say the wrong thing but promised to “keep learning”.