Caitlyn Jenner Preaches Acceptance in Arthur Ashe Courage Award Speech

On Wednesday evening, Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs, and made most people with a heart cry a lot.

The award was presented by U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team member Abby Wambach, and followed a short film documenting her transition. In her speech, Jenner thanked Diane Sawyer, her children (who were all in the audience), and her mother.

“I owe a lot to sports,” she said. “It’s shown me the world, it’s given me an identity. If someone wanted to bully me, well, you know what? I was the MVP of the football team. That wasn’t going to be much of a problem.”

“And the same thing goes tonight. If you want to call me names, make jokes, question my intentions, go ahead, because the reality is I can take it. But for the thousands of kids out there coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldn’t have to take it. So, for the people out there wondering what this is all about… I’ll tell you what it’s all about. It’s about what happens from here. It’s not just about one person, it’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me. It’s about all of us accepting one another.”