I know that I am a little behind writing this article as the buzz about Caitlyn Jenner is not as high as it was. The reason I am writing this now is because I cannot seem to forget all the hateful and hideous words I read on social media about her. I can't even imagine being the person that all this hate has been directed toward. It is one thing to disagree with someone else's decision, but it is another to shame and wish harm on them.
There was an outrage because rumors had surfaced that Caitlyn Jenner won the Arthur Ashe Award over a veteran who had lost limbs as he fought for our country. After researching this I found on CNNMoney that ESPN had confirmed that there is no such thing as a runner-up for this prestigious award and they were happy to give this award away to Caitlyn Jenner. Even though ESPN themselves announced that, it surely did not stop people from taking to the internet with their anger. I believe that there is something all of these people did not stop to think about before they let their true colors show on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Bruce Jenner was once one of America's most favorite and looked up to athletes. Everyone knew who he was and cheered him on in the Olympics. He too, represented America and did an amazing job at it. How was it not brave for him to come out with his lifelong secret in front of the entire country and world that put him on such a high pedestal? Now, as a woman, she is the face of the transgender movement. It is because of the man pictured above and all the ones that have fought before him and are currently fighting that allow America to be the melting pot of the world, the place where a person can be free to be who they truly are. It is because of this soldier and all the others that Caitlyn Jenner was even able to progress with her self-needs. Before you go and criticize her, stop to think about how the people of America are the ones who have made all of this possible. America is the land of the free, the place where anyone's dreams can come true. We allow people to have this opportunity and we are no longer going to be the greatest country in the world if we continue to hate and not accept the things we allow our citizens to do.
Honestly, if we are the ones who have allowed others to change their sex, then who are we to judge them? No one put a stop to it. Even more so, who are we to judge how much courage it takes to be the face of a movement that is not only booming, but one of the most controversial topics of our time? There is no way to measure it.