Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at Wednesday night’s ESPYs, making an emotional speech to promote transgender respect.
It marked the 65-year-old Olympian formerly known as Bruce Jenner's first live television appearance since she transitioned to
a woman, according to “Entertainment Tonight.”
Jenner received the award that shares its name with the only black man to have won the singles title at Wimbledon.
“I knew Arthur Ashe,” Jenner said, according to "ET." “I sat out there in the audience on many occasions and I thought to myself, ‘What if one day I can make a difference in this world and do what I'm doing? I wonder when I can get that.’ Tonight was the night.”
Jenner, who received two standing ovations, made the point to advocate for the transgender community.
“Trans people deserve something vital. They deserve your respect,”
Jenner said, according to Fox News. “From that respect comes a more compassionate community, a more empathetic society, and a better world for all of us.”
U.S. women’s soccer star Abby Wambach introduced Jenner and shared statistics on transgender individuals, including numbers on bullying, assault, and suicide — all rates that are higher than the average.
“So for the people out there wondering what this is all about, whether it’s about courage or controversy or publicity, it's about what happens from here. It's not just about one person. It's about thousands of people,” Jenner said. “It's not just about me. It's about all of us accepting one another. We're all different. It's not a bad thing. It's a good thing.”
Jenner also thanked “my buddy Diane Sawyer,” who first interviewed Bruce Jenner about the transition in April, and transgender celebrities Laverne Cox and Chaz Bono.
She was supported by her family, the stars of the reality television show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” who were seen hanging out backstage in a photo posted by Kim Kardashian on Instagram.
CLIQUE #ESPY'S ✔️
A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on
Jenner skipped the red carpet and made her first appearance on stage to accept the award wearing an ivory
Atelier Versace dress, according to USA Today.
The decision to award Jenner with the ESPY was controversial as many believed Lauren Hill, the 19-year-old college basketball star with cancer who died in April, or Noah Galloway, the double amputee veteran who came in third on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” should have received the Arthur Ashe Award.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.