Arthur Ashe Courage Award

In the article titled “Why Some Critics Don’t Think Caitlyn Jenner Deserved the Arthur Ashe Courage Award”, writer Justin Wm. Moyer from the Washington Post discusses the criticisms that have come with ESPN’s decision to give Caitlyn Jenner the prestigious award which symbolizes courage. Moyer writes about the doubters who don’t believe that what Caitlyn Jenner did by publicly coming out as transgender constitutes as “courageous”. He also references those who believe that Lauren Hill, a 19-year-old college basketball player who recently passed away with cancer, would have been a better candidate to receive the award. Although he points out the many doubters and their negative reactions, it seems as though he falls on the other side of the
Arthur Ashe was an African American tennis player who died of AIDS in 1993. Before his death, he raised awareness about the disease, which for a long time, people believed could only be contracted by homosexuals. By all means, Arthur Ashe was a courageous human being. Instead of fading into oblivion once he was diagnosed, he chose to give a voice to those suffering with this debilitating disease. The same could also be said about Caitlyn Jenner, although there are extreme differences with both Ashe and Jenner. Jenner very well could have never revealed her true self to the world and instead, continued to live a lie and avoided public scrutiny. However, she chose to be brave and come out to the world and show her true identity, which by all means, was incredibly courageous. I believe that Caitlyn Jenner truly embodies the spirit of this award because of the background surrounding the award and how the award came to
I agree that Caitlyn Jenner is unbelievably privileged. Because of this, she is in a position where she could use all of that publicity and attention to be a voice for the transgender community. A majority of the transgender community doesn’t have the kind of money or attention that Caitlyn has, but they can educate her on the kinds of struggles that they have had to overcome. On the documentary series, I Am Cait, Caitlyn regularly visits LGBTQ centers and listens to those who share their struggles. Although she cannot possibly understand the horrors that they have endured, she can use her newfound status to give them a voice that they previously did not have. In conclusion, Caitlyn Jenner has exhibited incredible courage in the aftermath of her revealing her true self by coming out as transgender. The reality is the transgender community faces hardships and abuse every day. Knowing that this is true, Jenner could have continued to live the rest of her life in hiding. The fact that she chose not to do that and instead opened herself up to scrutiny and hatred showed just how much courage she really