While Caitlyn Jenner is very proud to have received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, she's also glad the live TV appearance is over.
The Olympian was given the prestigious award last week at the ESPYs for going public with her transition, and used her speech to send an empowering message to LGBT youth.
Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox show that #TransIsBeautiful in first face-to-face meeting
"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 - whether it's about courage or controversy or publicity, well, I'll tell you what it's all about. It's about what happens from here," she told television viewers.
"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. We're all different. That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing.
"And while it may not be easy to get past the things you don't always understand, I want to prove that it is absolutely possible if we only do it together."
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Jenner is now opening up about the month-long process of making her live television debut in an in-depth blog entry.
Discussing her glamorous gown, the Olympian revealed: "Over the last month, I was so worried about what to wear. Donatella Versace reached out to me and said, 'I want to do the dress'. I said, 'I am SO in'. We started with designs; they made the dress in Italy.
"Her head dressmaker came over and we did two fittings to make sure we got it just absolutely perfect. It was like every fantasy of my life come true. Getting glamorous for the ESPYs was a big process to go through, but it was amazing and so much fun."
While she was satisfied with her attire, Jenner acknowledged that she is not yet entirely confident with her image.
"While I felt like I looked great and that the gown looked fabulous, I still have a voice issue," she wrote.
"It's not quite right compared to my feminine appearance. That bothers me a little bit. However, I hope that people don't listen to the pitch of my voice, but listen to what I have to say. That's important to me
"There is so much misunderstanding of this community that I'm in. People don't understand trans issues or gender identity issues.
"Now I'm in a position to try to explain it to people, to try to get them to understand that these are serious issues that affect a lot of people. That's what my mission has been from the beginning and I hope that I achieved that at the ESPYs. What an honor."
Jenner closed her blog entry with a heartfelt message of gratitude to all of those who have shown her support.
"Getting up there on stage in front of the whole world was no easy feat, but I so appreciate your encouragement and love," she concluded.
"We're changing hearts and minds one at a time."
One celebrity who was moved by Caitlyn's ESPY Awards speech was her ex-wife Kris Jenner, who called the Olympian's message of empowerment "amazing" over the weekend.
Caitlyn's s new docu-series I Am Cait premieres on E! on July 26 in the US and August 2 in the UK.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
