ceceglagovich-blog

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Let’s Get Fit!

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The Face I Make When I Wake Up Early

To avoid the crowd but the gym is packed.

http://www.gymaholic.co

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Why Caitlyn Jenner Deserves ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award  (And Why It’s Ignorant To Suggest Otherwise).

As a fan of the sports world, I was both mildly surprised and thrilled at the thought of Caitlyn Jenner receiving ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at this year’s ESPY Awards. However, as the first photos of Caitlyn made their way into the public eye, it became clear to me that this would be a milestone that would too often be overlooked. 

The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage was first awarded in 1993 to Jim Valvano, famed head coach of the North Carolina State basketball program, towards the end of his battle with cancer. His acceptance speech for this award is one that lives in infamy as it serves as a reminder to Valvano’s family, friends, and fans of a man that was taken from the world too soon. 

Jim Valvano was well aware of his mortality, but even more aware of the ability he possessed to make his illness an asset to himself and to the world around him. That evening, as he stood at the podium with the tear-filled eyes of the sports world upon him, he announced that through a partnership with ESPN, the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research would continue his battle to end cancer even after the disease claimed his own life. Valvano realized that while his time may be short, it is never too short to stand up to adversity with a smile, no matter how difficult that may be.

Since 1993, the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage has been bestowed on over two dozen recipients; many of whom have possessed the courage to inspire individuals far beyond the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Over the years, the award has honored the likes of Army Veterans, United Airlines Flight 93 passengers, television broadcasters, and the NFL’s first openly gay player. The beauty of this award however, is not that it is designed to honor what these men and women have done, but that it is designed to honor what they have done and the courage with which their deeds have been accomplished.

There are countless ways to be courageous. Leaving behind your family, friends, and a professional football career to serve your nation is courageous. Planning and succeeding in overtaking a hijacked airplane to ensure the safety of others over yourself is courageous. Opening up to the public on national television to raise awareness about a disease which may take your life is courageous. Admitting to the sports world and a league dominated by heterosexual males that you are homosexual and proud of your sexual orientation is courageous.

So, what makes any of these individuals more or less deserving than Caitlyn Jenner? The answer is pretty simple if you’re willing to open up your mind for a second and put an end to all of your testosterone-toting, mouth breathing and knuckle dragging.

There is absolutely nothing that separates the courage Caitlyn Jenner possesses from those who have been honored by this award in the past. Yet, our news feeds are constantly bombarded with ignorant posts created to belittle the courage it takes for a transwoman to announce to her family, friends, and in this case, the rest of the world, what should be the most liberating experience of her life.

And what do we have to say about it? Our response is that true bravery is displayed by the men and women that have fought and continue to fight for our nation because they allow us to maintain our freedom. We say bravery is when men and women like Stuart Scott and Robin Roberts put their illness on display for the world to see in order to serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for those of us who love them, and those of us who need it most. 

We are quick to honor the men and women that fit the mold of what our culture has come to define as courageous, but slow to realize that the definition we have created may not be as narrow as we have made it out to be. 

We have refused to refer to Caitlyn as a woman, or call her by the name she has chosen for herself because we do not understand her “decision.” We have chosen to call her actions selfish and condemn them with biased Bible verses because we would rather hide behind our religion that open our minds. We have failed to understand that being transgendered is not simply a decision that one makes because we have not taken the time to educate ourselves about the LGBTQ community.

We have readily done all of these things without considering the fact that while Caitlyn Jenner may not be our personal hero, she has undoubtedly displayed the sort of grace and courage that someone has needed to inspire themselves. Whether they be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning their sexual or gender orientation, someone out there has benefited from Caitlyn’s courage, and who are we to belittle that?

Regardless of what our overly-opinionated Facebook posts and debates may suggest, we are not the final decision on what is right and what is wrong in our world. However, as I take a look back at some of the absurd posts I have come across this past week, it is clear that the wrongs that have been done were not Caitlyn’s decision to complete her transformation or the photoshoot she released to the public, but rather the ways in which she has been attacked for making a decision that, to be frank, is none of your damn business.

And if you’re still trying to make it your business, then make sure you tune into ESPN’s ESPY Awards which are scheduled to air on ABC on Wednesday, July 15th, at 8PM/ET to watch Jenner receive this honor, and witness a moment that will transform our culture beyond the world of sports.

Also, my guess is that she’ll look stunning.