​“Trans people deserve something vital — they deserve your respect,” Caitlyn Jenner told the audience at the 2015 ESPY Awards Wednesday night.

Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPY Awards just a few months after her groundbreaking interview with Diane Sawyer.

Speaking about the importance of acceptance and the power of responsibility athletes have as role models, Jenner’s speech (above) also touched on her own experience in sports, comparing it to her current path in life.

“I trained hard, I competed hard. And for that, people respected me. But this transition has been harder on me than anything I could imagine. And that’s the case for so many others besides me.”

She gave the example of several transgender people around the world who feel threatened and often suicidal because of their differences and others’ judgment.

“It’s not just about one person — it’s about thousands of people,” Jenner said. “It’s about all of us accepting one another.”

She ended the speech with a strong stance on the negative comments she has received since her interview with Sawyer in April, saying: “I can take it. But for the thousands of kids out there coming to terms to being true to who they are, they shouldn’t have to take it.”

Last night’s ESPYs drove ABC to the show’s best ratings ever, with an average 7.7 million viewers tuning in. The show also lit up social media with 1.2 million tweets sent about the broadcast and a Twitter audience of 9.3 million people, according to Nielsen.

[Image courtesy of ESPY Awards]

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