Caitlyn inspires at the ESPYs
Cait’s courage wows ESPYs sports crowd
CELEBRITIES and athletes held a torch for Olympic champ Caitlyn Jenner at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday.
Jenner, 65, accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in one of her first public appearances as a transgender woman at the sports-centered award show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
U.S. women’s national team soccer star Abby Wambach introduced Jenner before an emotional video recap of her Olympic past and struggles with gender dysphoria.
“So for the people out there wondering what this is all about, whether it’s about courage or controversy or publicity, well, I’ll tell you what it’s all about,” an emotional Jenner said. “It’s about what happens from here. It’s not just about one person. It’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me, it’s about all of us accepting one another. We’re all different. That’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing.”
The superathlete, sporting a white Versace gown, said her one feat now would be to help encourage others to learn how to “accept people for who they are.”
The crowd roared in support, which came after some early backlash over the selection of the Wheaties cereal icon who won decathlon gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics as Bruce Jenner and gained renewed fame on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
Some said 19-year-old college basketball player Lauren Hill would have been a better choice for her brave battle against cancer and the $1.5 million she raised for cancer research before a brain tumor claimed her life in April.
Lauren’s mom, Lisa Hill, shot down any controversy.
“When it (the backlash) first came out, I was like, oh, she would so hate this, because Caitlyn is doing something that is good for her, and living to her true heart and her true person, and to be out there and do the transformation takes a lot of courage and a lot of guts,” Hill said.
ESPN honored Hill with a special presentation Wednesday.
Emotions ran high at the show, now in its 23rd year, as Yankees legend Derek Jeter received the lifetime “Icon Award.”
Earlier on the red carpet, there was a bit of blood sport as ultimate fighting champ Ronda Rousey took a shot at boxer Floyd Mayweather for his history of domestic violence. The “Best Fighter” winner also recalled Mayweather referring to her last year as a “he.” “I can’t help but really say that, I wonder how Floyd feels about being beat by a woman for once,” Rousey said. “I’d like to see him pretend to not know who I am now.”