Husband of late 9/11 hero returns wife's 'Woman of the Year' award after Caitlyn Jenner receives same honor
The husband of late police officer Moira Smith returned Smith's 2001 Glamour's Woman of the Year Award in protest of Caitlyn Jenner's reception of the same honor.
Smith died a noble death in 2001 when she lost her life helping wounded victims out of the World Trade Center after the September 11th attacks.
Smith was the only woman among the 23 New York Police Department officers who died that day. One month later, Glamour Magazine recognized the courageous woman by naming her one of their annual 'Women of the Year.'
This year, Glamour gave the same honor to several groundbreaking and inspirational females, including Misty Copeland, Cecile Richards and Reese Witherspoon.
Also among the honorees was "transgender champion" Caitlyn Jenner. The decision to give Jenner the same honor appalled Smith's husband, James, who was so furious that he returned his wife's award.
SEE ALSO: Caitlyn Jenner tries her best 'feminine voice'
%shareLinks-quote="I was shocked and saddened to learn that Glamour has just named Bruce Jenner 'Woman of the Year.' Was there no woman in America, or the rest of the world, more deserving than this man?" type="quote" author="James Smith" authordesc="husband of late officer Moira Smith" isquoteoftheday="false"%
James Smith will be vilified for this, but I appreciate his voice of reason amidst a sea of insanity. #moirasmithhttps://t.co/aQsB6Yq3Ow
— Karl Lehman (@KarlLehman) November 16, 2015
Smith published his opinions in an open letter to Cyndi Lieve, editor-in-chief of Glamour Magazine.
%shareLinks-quote="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." type="quote" author="James Smith" authordesc="husband of late police officer Moira Smith" isquoteoftheday="false"%
Not only does Smith refuse to recognize Jenner's transition, referring to her by her pre-transitional name as well as categorizing her as a man, but he also took Jenner's recognition as a personal offense to his late wife and women everywhere:
At a time when we have women in the armed forces fighting and dying for our country, heroic doctors fighting deadly diseases, women police 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?
James Smith
Although Smith has the right to question the reasoning behind various recipients of the award, it begs the question -- would he have the same issue with Jenner if she weren't a transgender woman?
A spokeswoman for Glamour released a statement after the letter and situation as a whole gained more and more attention from the media.
%shareLinks-quote="We stand by our decision to honor Caitlyn Jenner" type="quote" author="Glamour Spokeswoman" authordesc="on James Smith's return of 'Woman of the Year' award" isquoteoftheday="false"%
The spokeswoman went on to explain that, "Glamour's Women of the Year Awards recognize women with a variety of backgrounds and experiences."
No matter who receives the Women of the Year Awards in the future, nothing can take away from the inspiration and bravery for which Moira Smith gave her life in 2001.
For more on the 2015 Glamour Women of the Year Awards, watch the video below:
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