Caitlin Jenner & the ESPYs (i.e. SHUT UP DUDE AT THE BAR)
I forgot that the ESPYs were last night. My fiancee & I headed out to our usual (if going two weeks in a row can be considered usual) trivia night at a bar near the Square in Denton, sat down with some PBR, & got ready to answer some questions about movies (WE GOT THE MOVIE QUESTIONS RIGHT FOR ONCE) & tv & sports. I noticed Danica Patrick was on the projector screen & at first I thought she was giving out an Emmy or something, but then I realized it was the ESPYs — which makes more sense, because why would a NASCAR driver be giving out awards at anything that wasn’t the ESPYs. I watched — without any sound, because #trivianight — Devon Still’s speech, the way the crowd looked so sunken. I watched Derek Jeter do Derek Jeter stuff (i.e. stand somewhere & look dumb).
Then Abby Wambach was on the stage, introducing Caitlin Jenner as the winner of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, & then the man in the red, white, & blue shirt & the grey neckbeard at the table beside us said “Bruce Jenner,” said “that whole thing is a train wreck,” said other things that I only caught bits & pieces of.
So, I thought I’d play a game called “why all your reasons that Caitlin Jenner shouldn’t have won the Courage award are stupid reasons because YES she should have won it.”
That’s Not Real Bravery
Except it is. I remember, right after Caitlin’s announcement, there were posts all over Facebook (I grew up in very small town, one that often surprises me with its tolerance but even more often reminds me of how intolerant it really is) about how real bravery was fighting in the military, was dying for freedom. Caitlin Jenner didn’t die for freedom, no, but when she came out as trans, it helped a lot of people feel less alone. If “real bravery” is about saving lives, then put a big check mark next to Caitlin’s name.
This Has Nothing To Do With Sports
Yes, it does. Caitlin Jenner was once known as the world’s greatest athlete. Anything she does is tied to sports because of this. I mean — Nelson Mandela won the award a few years back, so the idea that the winner should be someone actively competing in the sports world has already been broken.
Someone Else Should Have Won It
Lauren Hill is the name I most see associated with this objection, & this is the one objection I could get behind if a lot of the voices calling for this didn’t seem to be using Hill as a way of masking their transphobia.
Lauren Hill was the basketball player for Mount St. Joseph who died of brain cancer in April. She helped raise a million dollars for cancer research. Lauren Hill would have been a great recipient of the award. She was brave. She helped further an important cause. If ESPN has decided to give her the award over Caitlin Jenner, I don’t think people would have objected — more on this thought in a second.
I don’t want to get into a conversation here about who is more brave — Hill or Jenner — because it’s a conversation that doesn’t go anywhere. Courage isn’t about quantifying courage, & it’s a shame Hill couldn’t be honored as well, though she was given the ESPY for Best Moment. Maybe what’s important isn’t arguing about which woman was most deserving of the award but discussing how both were worthy of it, & to remember that both women were honored at the ESPYs. Devon Still was honored as well. I think ESPN did a good job this year of giving space & airtime to a variety of people who deserved it. Still & Jenner both getting to give long speeches was wonderful to see.
Anyway, back to the thought I started above. If Lauren had been given the award, no one would have been upset. The fact that people are upset that another deserving person won the award points toward the transphobia I mentioned above.
You’re Giving The Award To A Sick Person
NO. FUCKING SHUT UP.
I recently saw a colleague share an article that equated being trans to having a mental illness, an article that advocated for doing away with sex change operations because they furthered the delusions of trans people, an article that I felt very, very strongly against. I don’t think those kinds of dialogues lead us to a productive space.
Couldn’t She Just Keep That To Herself
OK, most of the people who say this probably say “himself,” because they are assholes. These people also were disgusted when they watched Michael Sam kiss his boyfriend but probably were really excited every time they watched Brent Mussburger objectify the girlfriend of a football player on ABC.
These people probably also say things like “I don’t have to tell anyone I’m straight or that I’m a man,” which is true — I’m a straight cis man & I don’t have to “come out” because being straight & cis is what society views as “normal.” But for people who fall outside of that (incredibly restrictive & harmful) idea of “normal,” people who struggle to find acceptance in a world that, judging by all the Facebook comments on any news link about Caitlin Jenner & the ESPYs, is incredibly hostile to them, seeing high profile people speak openly about their experiences is very, very important thing. So, no, Caitlin shouldn’t have kept this to herself.
Anyway, tldr version of all this: Caitlin Jenner is deserving of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award & drunk assholes in bars (+ all the assholes across the Internet) should just shut up & go away.
