entertainment

The husband of a 9/11 heroine is protesting against Caitlyn Jenner's Glamour award.

“Is this the best you can do?”

This has really been the year of Caitlyn Jenner. The transgender former Olympian has been honored with awards for courage, such as the ESPY, as well as magazine covers, think-pieces and a TV show that’s just been renewed for a second season.

The 66-year-old’s latest accolade is the Glamour magazine Woman of the Year award for Trans Champion. Previous honorees in the awards include Hillary Clinton; Ruth Bader Ginsberg; Barbara Walters; and New York Police Officer Moira Smith, who received the honour posthumously for her actions during 9/11.

The husband of this last recipient is extremely unhappy at Jenner’s inclusion in the Glamour Awards — so upset, in fact, that he’s returned his late wife’s award.

Moira Smith was 38 years old when she died leading more than 100 injured people out of the World Trade Center. She was killed when the building collapsed, burying her in rubble. She left behind her husband James Smith and their two-year-old daughter.

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New York Police Officer Moira Smith. Image via MoiraSmith.com.
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James Smith posted an open letter to Glamour editor Cindi Leive in which he continually misgendered Jenner, referring to her as “Bruce” and “this man”, and explained why he returned the award.

Smith wrote that it’s an “insult” to his late wife and “other heroic women who have won this award” and suggested it’s a publicity stunt.

Here is the post in full:

On October 29th, 2001 I was honored to accept the Glamour Magazine “Woman of the Year Award” posthumously given to my wife, Police Officer Moira Smith. Moira was killed on September 11th, 2001 while rescuing thousands from the World Trade Center. EMT Yamel Merino was also posthumously honored that evening for her heroism.

I was shocked and saddened to learn that Glamour has just named Bruce Jenner “Woman of the Year”. I find it insulting to Moira Smith’s memory, and the memory of other heroic women who have earned this award. Was there no woman in America, or the rest of the world, more deserving than this man? At a time when we have women in the armed forces fighting and dying for our country, heroic doctors fighting deadly diseases, women police officers and firefighters putting their lives on the line for total strangers, brave women overcoming life threatening diseases… the list of possibilities goes on… is this the best you could do?

I can only guess that this was a publicity stunt meant to resuscitate a dying medium.

After discussing this slap in the face to the memory of our Hero with my family, I have decided to return Moira’s award to Glamour Magazine.

The magazine chose Jenner for her advocacy for transgender people and released this statement about its decision.

“Glamour was proud to honor Police Officer Moira Smith in 2001 and we stand by our decision to honor Caitlyn Jenner among our class of winners in 2015,” a Glamour spokeswoman tells ET.

“Caitlyn Jenner has helped shine a light on the problems faced by transgender youth and given voice to a community that is often unheard. Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards recognizes brave, bold women who in their individual ways have all made a significant difference in the world.”

Actress Rose McGowan was also angered by Jenner’s inclusion in the awards, but mostly because of what she said in her acceptance speech.

Jenner said at the ceremony that the “hardest part about being a woman is figuring out what to wear”.

Jenner at the awards with Judith Light and Madeleine Albright. Image via Instagram.

“Caitlyn Jenner you do not understand what being a woman is about at all. You want to be a woman and stand with us — well learn us. We are more than deciding what to wear. We are more than the stereotypes foisted upon us by people like you. You’re a woman now? Well f—king learn that we have had a VERY different experience than your life of male privilege,” McGowan wrote in a Facebook post that appears to have been deleted yesterday.

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“Woman of the year? No, not until you wake up and join the fight. Being a woman comes with a lot of baggage. The weight of unequal history. You’d do well to learn it. You’d do well to wake up. Woman of the year? Not by a long fucking shot.”

Jenner has encountered much backlash since she came out as a transgender women earlier this year with a Vanity Fair cover.

Listen to Caitlyn Jenner speaking about her hopes… Post continues after video.

Last Thursday, she was confronted by a protester during a lunch event in Chicago, who told her, “You are an insult to trans people, you are an insult to women!”

Jenner reportedly tried to reason with the protester before she was led away by security.

Other honorees this year include Victoria Beckham, the first black female ballet soloist at the American Ballet Theater, Misty Copeland, entrepreneur Elizabeth Holm and actress Reese Witherspoon.

Who do you think is worthy of Woman of the Year?