Glamour magazine posthumously honored New York Police Department Officer Moira Smith in 2001 as “Woman of the Year” after she died saving others in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. This award was also presented to Caitlyn Jenner in 2015 for her work as a transgender activist.
But Moira’s husband, James Smith, who is also a NYPD officer, came out against Glamour’s decision in an open letter on Facebook. In the letter, he stated that he and his family had decided to give back his wife’s award, citing the fact that as a man, “Bruce Jenner” was in no way worthy of receiving this award, BuzzFeed reported.
The post has since been deleted, but a screenshot reads: “I was shocked and saddened to learned 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?”
Glamour has since come out in support of awarding Caitlyn Jenner, stating, “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. 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.”
This entire debate is contingent upon what your own personal definition of a hero is. For a start, a hero is arguably anyone who consciously makes a sacrifice so that others can be safe or live better lives. That being said, we aren’t in a place to make decisions regarding what constitutes a hero in this case. Quite obviously, Moira Smith’s actions on Sept. 11 undoubtedly improved the lives of others solely in that she saved them from death by sacrificing her own life. But one who goes through a transition with such bravery as Caitlyn Jenner has also deserves to be honored, especially because she has most likely saved lives in her efforts as well.
We cannot fully comprehend the individual thoughts of Smith and Jenner during their times of courage, nor can we evaluate their respective levels of bravery. But we can say that Glamour’s decision to honor Jenner in no way diminishes the bravery of Moira. She was honored just one month after the 9/11 attacks — her bravery was in the forefront of every single American’s minds. Jenner, likewise, has been honored during one of the most significant years in the progression of transgender rights.
Either way, awards shouldn’t be measured by who suffered more, but rather by the level of selflessness each of these acts required. To be quite honest, irony lies in the fact that James Smith is boycotting Jenner’s “Woman of the Year Award” for the very reason she was awarded it in the first place.
There is something so superficial about receiving awards in the first place, and this level of scrutiny from Smith only adds to that superficiality. Because his personal views don’t match up with Glamour’s decision, he has automatically deemed Caitlyn Jenner unworthy of the award that was presented to his deceased wife. This is arguably the same as being awarded an Oscar for your performance in a film, but then handing it back as soon as someone you deem less worthy of an actor is given an Oscar as well.
But perhaps the real issue here isn’t that Smith believes Jenner’s heroism is less or more heroic than his wife’s — rather, he doesn’t believe Jenner’s claim to womanhood is valid in the first place. This is evident in his open letter when he refers to Caitlyn as Bruce, using the wrong pronouns throughout as a way to purposefully spite Jenner’s progress. Smith’s transphobia has prevented his ability to accept Jenner’s act of heroism, even though she has done a great deal for the community of which she is a part.
Although Jenner comes from a place of extreme privilege, the transgender community has undoubtedly benefited from her courage to come out and she has become a beacon for their struggles. Jenner’s experience is a lucky one — she hasn’t experienced nearly as much hate or scrutiny or violence as other members of the community have. But it is solely for this reason that as an outsider, Smith is in no place to make a decision as to who is more heroic or who can be better defined as a woman.
No matter the recipient of this Woman of the Year Award in the future, Moira’s sacrifice will not be made any less. Our cultural definition of heroism is constantly changing, and Jenner happens to represent this definition at this time.