Caitlyn Jenner is answering her young critics face to face.
After she publicly announced her transition a year ago in a revelatory interview with Diane Sawyer, the former Olympic gold medalist and reality star suddenly became a major force within the LGBT community.
Jenner later reintroduced herself to the public for the first time on the cover of Vanity Fair, was hailed as a "trans champion" by Glamour, which nominated her as one of their 2015 women of year and was ultimately honored with the 2015 Espys' Arthur Ash Award.
Among all of the initial accolades, the 66-year-old television personality fielded endless criticism, particularly for her support of the Republican political party despite its members' unfavorable outlook on LGBT rights. While Jenner has publicly decried Republican-rooted anti-LGBT legislation in North Carolina and elsewhere, she has continued to field criticism from LGBT youth.
So, she faced the complaints head on by sitting down with them for a personal one-on-one.
Organized by the New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, the star met with Brooklyn students Joshua and Spencer. Spencer took issue with how the reality star uses her publicity.
"She's privileged and she doesn't use her privilege to advocate for those who can't speak for themselves," Spencer said before meeting Jenner. The athlete acknowledged the concern immediately.
"I was a privileged white male, so I've gotten very criticized for that within the trans community," Jenner began. "What do I know?"
"Actually I know a lot," she continued. "I will never ever make excuses for working hard all my life. And being successful and raising a wonderful family of kids. Trans people can transition in private. I have not had that luxury because of who I am and "that privilege." I have been exposed to more than you can ever even imagine."
Next, Joshua asked the public figure whether she thought she deserved the Arthur Ashe Award.
"I was very honored. I knew it was so important what I said there for everybody. I'm very happy that it gave me that platform," she explained. "Whether I deserved it or not—who cares?...Next year, there'll be a new person."