Caitlyn Jenner gives an incredible speech at ESPYS: ‘Trans people deserve your respect.’
Caitlyn Jenner accepted her first formal award on Wednesday since announcing her transition, receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYS and giving an emotional speech in the process.
“The real truth is that before just a few months ago, I had never met anybody else who was trans,” she said. “Now as you saw, I dealt with my situation on my own, in private. It’s been eye-opening, inspiring, but also frightening.”
“They’re getting bullied,” Jenner said of trans youth. “They’re getting beaten up. They’re getting murdered. And they’re committing suicide.”
“With attention, comes responsibility. As a group, as athletes, how you conduct your lives, what you say, what you do, is absorbed and observed by millions of people, especially young people,” she told the room. “I know I’m clear with my responsibility.”
She went on to put a simple goal: “Accepting people for who they are.”
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