“Anyone can slay a dragon ...but try waking up
every morning and loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero.” –Brian Andreas
My Facebook feed has been alive like a noxious weed this
week. After Caitlyn Jenner’s Vanity Fair cover was announced, the tendrils of
commentary have been hard to avoid. As a few friends voiced opinions I didn’t
agree with, I did something I don’t normally do on social media. I challenged
them just a touch. The central theme that irked me is the opinion that Caitlyn
Jenner is not a hero and that she is undeserving of ESPN’s Arthur Ash Award for
Courage.
So, how does one define a hero and courage? The words are
like beauty—subjective and in the eye of the beholder.
Brian Andreas is an artist and writer from Iowa and he has a
knack for capturing a thousand words in only a few. As I thought about courage
and heroes this week and how I would define them, I recalled Brian’s quote
above. I love the simplicity in his words. I love that he recognizes a
wide-spread notion of a typical hero being a mighty dragon slayer of sorts but
that heroism lies in accomplishing something difficult and for many it can be
most difficult to love and keep loving.
Caitlyn Jenner’s announcement this week happened days before
I traveled to Boise for a scholarship reception. This winter I helped review
applications and conduct scholarship interviews for the Pride Foundation. The
Pride Foundation is a regional community foundation that inspires giving to
expand opportunities and advance full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people across the Northwest.
I have been waiting for years for an opportunity like this.
My entire college education including books, fees, room and board was paid for
through scholarships from Idaho State University, engineering technical
societies, and organizations dedicated to the advancement of women in the
workplace. While I have donated to numerous scholarship funds over the years, I
have never been involved in the application review and award process until now.
This year the Pride Foundation awarded $403,850 to 124 student
leaders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Nine scholars are
from Idaho, collectively being awarded over $34,000, and I got to meet four of
them this week. Two of them, similar to Caitlyn Jenner, identify as transgender.
As I met people and mingled with other foundation supporters, I was acutely
aware of the courage in the room.
Melissa Vera was one of the LGBTQ winners who I helped
interview over a video conference call. In person and after the stress of the
review process, I was struck by her humor, candor and resilience. During her
speech she said, “My mother was a meth-addict for ten years and I grew up not
knowing where my next meal would come from or if we would have to move into the
car yet again because rent wasn’t paid. My circumstances during that time
didn’t instill much confidence in the world and myself. I had to deal with
physical violence in the home, hunger, neglect and a constant feeling of stress
and fear. As I grew up, I had to realize that I never lost that raw innocence
and hope. “
Another winner was Dianne Piggott, a transgender woman from
Boise. While she received her scholarship medal the night’s host said “As a
transgender woman, she has gained valuable insight into change and valuing an
authentic life. Though she didn’t grow up in Idaho, she assures us she got here
as soon as she could.”
I talked with a third scholarship winner from Boise named
Kale Gardner. Kale was kicked out of the house while in high school and has
found a family to live with while attending the summer session at the College
of Western Idaho, majoring in sociology. When I asked if the rest of the
evening would be full of late night celebrations and revelry, Kale simply said,
“Well, I have homework to do.”
All of these folks had smiles and sparkles that showcased,
if not their love of this world today, their attempts at such. For me, I have
heroes who try to make this a safer and more loving world, and I have heroes
who help me love it when it’s not. I see heroes who do just as Brian Andres says
and they wake up every day loving the world.
As I’ve followed Bruce Jenner’s transition to Caitlyn and as
I think about those I met this week, that’s what I see: people who are trying
to live in a way that lets them be their authentic self and love this world. Is
Caitlyn Jenner a hero to me? Well not exactly. She’s a heroine.
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| Pride Foundation Scholarship winners with pink ribbons: Kolby Deagle, Melissa Vera, Dianne Piggott and Kale Gardner. Pride Foundation Idaho Regional Development Organizer Steve Martin in the middle. |
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