Caitlyn Jenner's Arthur Ashe Award Acceptance Speech and Photos from 2015 ESPYs

Caitlyn Jenner has plenty of experience standing onstage as applause rains down from the crowd. After winning the 1976 Olympic gold medal in the decathlon, she was the most famous athlete in the country and is one of the most celebrated Olympians in history.

On Wednesday, Caitlyn Jenner was back on the stage as onlookers cheered her accomplishments.

Jenner, who revealed she was transgender this year, was the 2015 recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage ESPY Award, which is given to a figure whose actions transcend sports. The presentation, which took up nearly 30 minutes of Wednesday's broadcast, covered Jenner's rise to international fame, her struggles behind closed doors and what she hopes to accomplish in the transgender community.

"I'm clear on my responsibility going forward... To promote this very simple idea: accepting people for who they are," Jenner said, per Katie Krause of Entertainment Tonight.

United States women's soccer captain Abby Wambach, another member of the LGBT community, presented Jenner with the award. Wambach cited the disparaging statistics regarding transgender individuals, including exceptionally high rates of suicide attempts, and pointed toward Jenner as someone who can help change the conversation.

"Trans people deserve something vital," Jenner said, per Alex Stedman of Variety. "They deserve your respect. And from that respect comes a more compassionate community, a more empathetic society and a better world for all of us."

The 65-year-old, who is best known to modern audiences for her work on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, came out as transgender earlier this year in an interview with Diane Sawyer. She later revealed her name and full transition in a Vanity Fair spread.

"Relationships for me were always tough," Jenner said in a video clip, per Stedman. "I always felt like I was hiding myself from everybody. The only way I could get through life was by distraction. I did not want to deal with myself. ... I wasted a lot of my life and nobody really knew who I am. And that's sad."

Jenner's selection for the Arthur Ashe Award has drawn some criticism from within the sports world. Broadcaster Bob Costas called it a "crass exploitation play" that was meant to drive ratings. Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier, who got his start as an ESPN anchor, was one of many to say Division III basketball player Lauren Hill, who died of brain cancer this year, was more deserving.

Chris Pizzello/Associated Press

"Make no mistake, what Caitlyn did was courageous," Frazier said, per ET's Raphael Chestang. "But Lauren's journey was not about glamour or publicity. It was just a girl who never gave up her dream of playing college basketball while she was dying of cancer, and along the way she raised millions of dollars for pediatric cancer. That is why I feel that she is deserving of the award."

Despite the controversy, ESPN not only stuck by its choice but also publicly defended it. Executive producer Maura Mandt, who has been with the ESPYs nearly since their inception, recently spoke with Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch to expound upon the decision-making process:

"

I think Caitlyn's decision to publicly come out as a transgender woman and live as Caitlyn Jenner displayed enormous courage and self-acceptance. Bruce Jenner could have easily gone off into the sunset as this American hero and never have dealt with this publicly. Doing so took enormous courage. He was one of the greatest athletes of our time. That is what the Arthur Ashe Courage Award is about, somebody from the athletic community who has done something that transcends sport.

"

Jenner was also defiant in her speech, time and again saying her transition was not just about her—that it was about making a difference in the lives of those without a public platform.

"If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions, go ahead—I can take it," Jenner said. "But for the thousands of kids out there, they shouldn't have to."

Regardless of your opinion on the choice, the Arthur Ashe Award has increasingly become a symbol of acceptance within the sports world. Jenner is the third straight LGBT winner of the award, joining former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam and broadcaster Robin Roberts, who won in 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Given what Ashe achieved himself in de-scandalizing AIDS and HIV during a period of widespread fear, it's only fitting his name carries on breaking down more cultural barriers in the sports world.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.