Caitlyn Jenner tearfully thanked her family while accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on Wednesday at the ESPYs in Los Angeles.
The 65-year-old honoree made her first major public appearance at the awards show since announcing her transitioning to a woman during an April tell-all interview with Diane Sawyer.
Caitlyn got tearful toward the end of her 25-minute acceptance speech in which she gave a heartfelt appeal on behalf of trans youth.
'Trans people deserve something vital,' she said. 'They deserve your respect.'
She was presented with the honour by Abby Wambach, who is also an Olympic gold medalist, and was part of the US women's soccer team that won the World Cup earlier this month.
Caitlyn, 65, initially planned to appear on stage with all of her 10 children and stepchildren, including the Kardashian sisters, but they instead showed their support from the audience.
However, it did not take long for cynical tweets to appear questioning why she had been chosen for the award above other potential honorees.
Other tweets complained that ESPN had chosen Jenner simply for publicity reasons, while others implied that money was involved.
An outcry erupted when late teenage basketball player Lauren Hill, was passed over for the award.
Hill achieved her goal of playing college basketball while battling an inoperable brain tumor and raising money for cancer research.
The ESPYs announced a special tribute to Hill on Tuesday saying that it had been planned all along.
Hill's mother, Lisa, who attended the awards was excited to meet Jenner, and told USA Today: 'I don't think [Lauren] would have had a strong opinion on [the award] either way to be honest.'
The special tribute was not enough to placate some viewers, who vented their disapproval on Twitter in favor of Hill.
Twitter was also filled with messages of congratulations for Jenner .
Viewers, athletes and celebrities praised her for the courage she had shown and the example she had set to others
With Rosie Perez describing the night as Caitlyn's 'best victory yet'.
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| WHEN CAITLYN WAS BRUCE JENNER |
There has been widespread speculation that a deal had been done to ensure Jenner received the award in exchange for the interview granted to Diane Sawyer, that screened on ABC's 20/20 in April.
An insider told RadarOnline that Jenner's reps had brought the idea to ESPN, sister network to ABC, in exchange for PR plugs in the upcoming reality show 'I am Cait'.
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| CAITLYN'S CHILDREN WERE PRESENT TO SHOW SUPPORT |
ESPN executives had loved the idea, but when negotiations hit a stumbling block, Jenner's agent reportedly threatened to pull the Sawyer interview.
The issue was resolved and the interview went ahead as scheduled, but ESPY organizers claim the decision to honor Jenner was not made until May, the month after the Sawyer interview aired.
The decision to honor Jenner has been controversial since it was first announced.
Following the announcement Bob Costas said that Caitlyn wasn't 'deserving' of the bravery award.
The NBC sportscaster described the move as a 'crass exploitation play' by the network and suggested that somebody 'actively involved in sports' should get it instead.
Costas asserted that Jenner had been granted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award because she offers a 'gawker factor' to the awards ceremony itself, and boost TV audience figures for the ESPYs award ceremony.
The former Olympian joins recent Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipients such as Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL player, and sportscaster Robin Roberts, who survived breast cancer and the blood disease myelodysplastic syndrome.
In its statement announcing Jenner's award, an ESPN boss said he hoped honouring Jenner would 'give comfort' to other transgender people struggling with their identity.'
Executive producer Maura Mandt said upon announcing the honour: 'Bruce [Jenner] has received many accolades over the years for being one of the greatest Olympians of our time, but The ESPYS are honored to celebrate Bruce becoming Caitlyn.'
'She has shown the courage to embrace a truth that had been hidden for years, and to embark on a journey that may not only give comfort to those facing similar circumstances, but can also help to educate people on the challenges that the transgender community faces.'
Jenner herself was also quoted in the statement. She said: 'In the past few months, the overwhelming outpouring of support from all over the world for my journey has been incredible'.
'However, being honored with this award, which is named after one of my heroes, is truly special. For the first time this July, I will be able to stand as my true self in front of my peers.'
ESPN has given its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to figures ranging from professional sportsmen to relative unknowns - and even a world leader.
Ashe was a top-ranked US tennis player who died of AIDS-related pneumonia and was known for his support of civil rights and efforts to educate others about HIV and AIDS.
This is in no way the first accolade for Jenner, who came the American decathlete champion in 1974 and won the French national championship the following year.
That same year, in 1975, Jenner set a world record of 8,524 points at a track meet in Oregon.
Of course Jenner's biggest accomplishment came in 1976 upon winning the gold medal in the decathlon.
During the coronation, Jenner took an American flag from a spectator and hoisted it into the air while running a victory lap, initiating a tradition that is now common among athletes the world over.
Jenner has been inducted into US National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Olympic Hall of Fame, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame, and the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.
Before Caitlyn's gender transition she was married three times. Her first marriage was to Chrystie Scott (1972-1981), which produced two children Burton and Cassandra.
One week after the divorce for his first marriage was finalized she remarried, this time to actress Linda Thompson, they had two children together Brandon and Brody.
Linda divorced Jenner in 1986. The former Olympian went on to marry Kris Jenner in 1991, they have two daughters, Kendall and Kylie.
Jenner is step-parent to Kris' four children, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Rob Kardashian.
Caitlyn and Kris divorced in March 2015, just one month before Caitlyn's official gender transition was made public.
PAST COURAGE AWARD WINNERS
ESPN has given its Arthur Ashe Courage Award, named after a tennis player who died of AIDS-related pneumonia, to figures ranging from professional sportsmen to relative unknowns - and even a world leader:
2014: Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL player, was given the award last year. The former St Louis Ram now plays in the Canadian league.
2013: Robin Roberts, a Good Morning America host who worked at ESPN for 15 years, received the 2013 award after her battles with breast cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood condition.
2012: Pat Summitt, a basketball coach at the University of Tennessee with more NCAA wins to her name than any other coach, was given the award after her battle with Alzheimer's disease.
2011: Dewey Bozella, who spent most of his adult life in prison after being wrongly convicted of murder, but found solace and stability in boxing, won the award four years ago.
2010: The family of Ed Thomas, football coach at an Iowa high school, accepted the award after he was murder by a mentally ill former player in the school locker room.
2009: Nelson Mandela, the first president of South Africa, won the award for the way he used the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a vehicle for healing racial divides in his country.
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