“We need to be having a conversation about this,” said Ryan T. Anderson in an interview on CNN Monday morning about Bruce Jenner’s decision to talk about why he now identifies as transgender. “This is great that Bruce Jenner is telling his story.”

“I think it will be important that we hear other peoples’ stories, that we hear Walt Heyer, who has spoken on his experience being transgender and he had the sex reassignment surgery,” added Anderson, the William E. Simon senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation. “It didn’t help him in that situation. He’s speaking about that.”