'Trans people deserve something vital: your respect': Emotional Caitlyn Jenner delivers moving 10-minute speech after winning Courage award in front of nine of her children at the ESPYs
- Caitlyn Jenner gave a 10-minute acceptance speech after being presented with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs
- She appealed for respect for all trans people and called for athletes to set an example for others
- Always a controversial choice for the award, cynics took to Twitter to vent their disapproval
- Some cited publicity and money as reasons for honoring Jenner, while others felt there were far more deserving athletes
- The day before the awards, reports surfaced that a deal had been struck between representatives of Jenner and ESPN and ABC
Caitlyn Jenner tearfully thanked her family while accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on Wednesday at the ESPYs in Los Angeles.
The 65-year-old honoree made her first major public appearance at the awards show since announcing her transitioning to a woman during an April tell-all interview with Diane Sawyer.
Caitlyn got tearful toward the end of her 10-minute acceptance speech in which she gave a heartfelt appeal on behalf of trans youth.
'Trans people deserve something vital,' she said. 'They deserve your respect.'
Her speech was preceded by a 15-minute video detailing her journey and featuring interviews with her mother Esther and model daughter Kendall that was narrated by Mad Men star Jon Hamm.
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Courage award: Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on Wednesday at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles
Jenner's children and stepchildren were present to see her accept the award
After being presented the award by soccer player Abby Wambach, Jenner gave a heartfelt speech about the plight of transgender youth, tearing up towards the end
Be a showstopper in a white gown like Caitlyn
Caitlyn Jenner might have skipped the ESPY red carpet, but that doesn't take away her crown for best dressed.
Caitlyn took the stage in a stunning white gown while receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Although, her speech was quite memorable and teary-eyed, she made sure not to ruin her bronze make up or get a tear on her breath taking white dress.
If you fell in love with her ethereal wrap gown as much as we did, then why not follow the footsteps of a fashionista and emulate her look?
We found you some sexy alternatives, that will hug those curves but still give you the elegant look like Caitlyn.
Toss your curled locks to the side, throw on some gold teardrop earrings...and voila, you've mimicked Caitlyn's ESPY look!
She was presented with the honour by Abby Wambach, who is also an Olympic gold medalist, and was part of the US women's soccer team that won the World Cup earlier this month.
Caitlyn, 65, initially planned to appear on stage with all of her 10 children and stepchildren, including the Kardashian sisters, but they instead showed their support from the audience.
However, it did not take long for cynical tweets to appear questioning why she had been chosen for the award above other potential honorees.
It was a proud moment for the extended family
There were accusations on Twitter that ESPN chose to honor Jenner for publicity reasons
Some viewers were unhappy about the treatment of other honorees
Cynics complained about the juxtaposition of tributes and advertising for Jenner's upcoming reality show
Other tweets complained that ESPN had chosen Jenner simply for publicity reasons, while others implied that money was involved.
An outcry erupted when late teenage basketball player Lauren Hill, was passed over for the award.
Hill achieved her goal of playing college basketball while battling an inoperable brain tumor and raising money for cancer research.
The ESPYs announced a special tribute to Hill on Tuesday saying that it had been planned all along.
Hill's mother, Lisa, who attended the awards was excited to meet Jenner, and told USA Today: 'I don't think [Lauren] would have had a strong opinion on [the award] either way to be honest.'
The special tribute was not enough to placate some viewers, who vented their disapproval on Twitter in favor of Hill.
Hill was a popular choice to win the award
Organizers of the ESPYs said that they planned to honor hill all along, but only announced they were doing so on Tuesday
There was a special tribute to Lauren Hill who achieved her goal of playing college basketball while battling an inoperable brain tumor and raising money for cancer research
Twitter was also filled with messages of congratulations for Jenner .
Viewers, athletes and celebrities praised her for the courage she had shown and the example she had set to others
With Rosie Perez describing the night as Caitlyn's 'best victory yet'.
An emotional Kylie Jenner also spoke on behalf of sister Kendall
Much respect from Questlove
Monica Lewinsky called the speech 'beautiful'
'Your best victory yet. Beautifully done,' said Rosie Perez
Soccer player Abby Wambach, of the U.S. women's national soccer team, left, presented Caitlyn Jenner with the courage award
All white: Diane Sawyer also was at the awards ceremony after hosting the tell-all special in April in which the Olympics champion announced she was a woman
There has been widespread speculation that a deal had been done to ensure Jenner received the award in exchange for the interview granted to Diane Sawyer, that screened on ABC's 20/20 in April.
An insider told RadarOnline that Jenner's reps had brought the idea to ESPN, sister network to ABC, in exchange for PR plugs in the upcoming reality show 'I am Cait'.
ESPN executives had loved the idea, but when negotiations hit a stumbling block, Jenner's agent reportedly threatened to pull the Sawyer interview.
The issue was resolved and the interview went ahead as scheduled, but ESPY organizers claim the decision to honor Jenner was not made until May, the month after the Sawyer interview aired.
The decision to honor Jenner has been controversial since it was first announced.
Following the announcement Bob Costas said that Caitlyn wasn't 'deserving' of the bravery award.
The NBC sportscaster described the move as a 'crass exploitation play' by the network and suggested that somebody 'actively involved in sports' should get it instead.
Costas asserted that Jenner had been granted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award because she offers a 'gawker factor' to the awards ceremony itself, and boost TV audience figures for the ESPYs award ceremony.
The Kardashians and Jenners united for the occasion
Large family: Jenner's children including Kendall, Khloe, Kylie, Kim, Kourtney, Brandon and Brody were shown in an Instagram snap backstage shared by Kim
Sports hero: Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on Wednesday during the ESPYs Award in Los Angeles and is shown (left) as Bruce Jenner competing in the 1976 Summer Olympics
The former Olympian joins recent Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipients such as Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL player, and sportscaster Robin Roberts, who survived breast cancer and the blood disease myelodysplastic syndrome.
In its statement announcing Jenner's award, an ESPN boss said he hoped honouring Jenner would 'give comfort' to other transgender people struggling with their identity.'
Executive producer Maura Mandt said upon announcing the honour: 'Bruce [Jenner] has received many accolades over the years for being one of the greatest Olympians of our time, but The ESPYS are honored to celebrate Bruce becoming Caitlyn.'
'She has shown the courage to embrace a truth that had been hidden for years, and to embark on a journey that may not only give comfort to those facing similar circumstances, but can also help to educate people on the challenges that the transgender community faces.'
Jenner herself was also quoted in the statement. She said: 'In the past few months, the overwhelming outpouring of support from all over the world for my journey has been incredible'.
'However, being honored with this award, which is named after one of my heroes, is truly special. For the first time this July, I will be able to stand as my true self in front of my peers.'
ESPN has given its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to figures ranging from professional sportsmen to relative unknowns - and even a world leader.
Ashe was a top-ranked US tennis player who died of AIDS-related pneumonia and was known for his support of civil rights and efforts to educate others about HIV and AIDS.
American champion: Arthur Ashe is shown in 1975 after beating Jimmy Connors in four sets to win Wimbledon
Jenner joins previous winners including Michael Sam, Robin Roberts and Nelson Mandela
This is in no way the first accolade for Jenner, who came the American decathlete champion in 1974 and won the French national championship the following year.
That same year, in 1975, Jenner set a world record of 8,524 points at a track meet in Oregon.
Of course Jenner's biggest accomplishment came in 1976 upon winning the gold medal in the decathlon.
During the coronation, Jenner took an American flag from a spectator and hoisted it into the air while running a victory lap, initiating a tradition that is now common among athletes the world over.
Jenner has been inducted into US National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Olympic Hall of Fame, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame, and the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.
Gold medal: Jenner won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal
Before Caitlyn's gender transition she was married three times. Her first marriage was to Chrystie Scott (1972-1981), which produced two children Burton and Cassandra.
One week after the divorce for his first marriage was finalized she remarried, this time to actress Linda Thompson, they had two children together Brandon and Brody.
Linda divorced Jenner in 1986. The former Olympian went on to marry Kris Jenner in 1991, they have two daughters, Kendall and Kylie.
Jenner is step-parent to Kris' four children, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Rob Kardashian.
Caitlyn and Kris divorced in March 2015, just one month before Caitlyn's official gender transition was made public.
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