Fri 17 Jul 2015 In: Worth Checking Out View at Wayback View at NDHA
Caitlyn Jenner has been given the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYS, sports awards run by US network ESPN. She used the platform to speak up “for the thousands of kids out there coming to terms with being true to who they are”. "With attention comes responsibility," Jenner said, in her first major public speech since her massively publicised transition. "This transition has been harder on me than anything I could ever imagine, and that's the case for so many like me. "If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions, go ahead. Because the reality is, I can take it. But for the thousands of kids out there coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldn't have to take it." She said it was an issue of acceptance. "We're all different. That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. And while it may not easy to get past the things you [don't always] understand, I want to prove that it is absolutely possible if we only do it together. "Trans people deserve something vital, they deserve your respect, and from that respect comes a more compassionate community, a more empathetic society, and a better world for all of us." GayNZ.com staff - 17th July 2015