I have seen many trans people come out and face the press and really don’t handle it very well. Some were in politics, some were in the military, some were in the media, and not many have handled it very well but Caitlyn Jenner has been doing it right.
Caitlyn Jenner honoured at ESPY Awards, urges transgender acceptance
Reuters
July 16, 2015
Former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner, who came out as transgender this year, called for respect and acceptance of other transgender people after being honoured at this year's ESPY Award ceremony.
The 65-year-old, who as Bruce Jenner took gold at the 1976 Olympics in the decathlon, received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award named after the late United States tennis star and presented to "individuals whose contributions transcend sports".
Jenner received a standing ovation and gave an emotional acceptance speech at the Los Angeles event, officially known as the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Award.
"I trained hard, I competed hard and for that people respected me but this transition has been harder on me than anything I could have imagined and that's the case for so many others besides me," Jenner said.
She has good coaches but more importantly she listened to what they had to say. Many didn’t.
Caitlyn's comments at the ESPY awards were amazing. If anyone doubted why she truly deserved this award those doubts should have been eliminated last night. I also thought that the lead up production prior to her receiving the award was very well done.
ReplyDeleteHer acknowledgements to her family, her mother and others, including Diane Sawyer were moving and clearly sincere.
It is nice to see that she has been accepted by her many in the sports and entertainment community as well as by many of her fellow Repbulicans. I thought it was interesting that she chose Diane Sawyer, a former speech and press release writer, Nixon staff assistant, member of the Nixon-Ford transition team and the person who did the most to help Nixon write his memoirs. I hope that those in the T community who heard Caitlyn speak last night will afford her the same level of acceptance that she has received from Republicans such as Lindsey Graham, Rick Santorum and Donald Trump.
As a conservative, Christian, Republican T person I often feel abused by the regular bashiing that so many in the T community feel at liberty to administer to those that they want to present as enemies. I was very pleased with the comments about Jenner from Gregory Angelo of the Log Cabin Republicans. He has been effusively welcoming to Caitlyn.
I hope that the bashing can stop and that the emergence of Caitlyn Jenner as her own person continues to build bridges. Sitting in my living room watching this courageous conservative Republican make her comments at the ESPY awards truly made me proud to be an American.
Pat
My only hope is that Ms. Jenner can work to persuade Mr. Graham, Santorum, Trump and the 52 other conservative republicans who voted against the anti-bullying bill that it time to shape up. Hopefully her and others like yourself Pat can build that very much needed bridge to those who would and do persecute us all. There is much work to be done for all of the people especially in the conservative, Christian, Republican circles. Good luck and best wishes for a society for all LGBTQ folks, immigrants, people of color, non-religious, religious, outsiders, insiders, the poor, the elderly, the young. Gee its so much more than just ourselves.
ReplyDeleteRichard Nelson, Queers Without Borders, Hartford. Ct.
We all know how quickly Trump jumped on the issue of having Jenna Takackova's disqualification from the Canadian Ms. Universe pageant reversed. He made it clear that she could compete for the Ms. Universe title.
ReplyDeleteWhen asked if he accepts Jenner, Santorum, a man with deep religious beliefs and practices, state, "My job as a human being is to treat everybody with dignity, respect, period. Stop. Full stop. No qualification to that." He added that he would be happy to accept Jenner's endorsement.
Graham's first comment was that Jenner's experience "must have been hell". In other comments he said "I'm into addition...I havn't walked in her shoes. I don't have all the answers to the mysteries of life. I can only imagine the torment that Bruce Jenner went through. I hope he's - I hope she has found peace...If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be a Republican, she is welcome in my party."
I believe in open arms, hearts and minds. I find a lot of good things being done by the Log Cabin Republicans. I hope that GOProud can get back together. I am bothered that so many trans writers and bloggers spend a lot of time and energy bashing and blaming conservaties, religious people and others that they may merely disagree with. I have gone dressed to church and have always been accepted as a large man in a dress, hose, makeup and wig. My brother is an ordained deacon and upon his ordination adopted a special ministry of making the LGBT community welcome in church. I maintain that you catch more flies with honey than vinigar.
Pat
Pax
Pat