Moira Smith was 38-years-old and working as a police officer in New York on 9/11.

She bravely ran back inside Tower Two, time and again, to try and evacuate those trapped inside. During one of her rescue mission, she was tragically killed.

In December 2001, she was posthumously awarded a Glamour magazine ‘Women on the Year award’. Except that her husband, James Smith – who also works as an NYPD officer – has just returned it, in protest at Caitlyn Jenner being given the same accolade.

James Smith has returned his wife's award

In an open letter, posted on Facebook, Smith explained that it was ‘insulting’ to the memory of his wife that transgender Jenner had been honoured.

At a time when we have women in the armed forces fighting and dying for our country, heroic doctors fighting deadly diseases, women police officers 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?

Moira Smith died on 9/11 and was posthumously awarded Woman of the Year

Former Olympic star Jenner, 66, was presented with the Transgender Champion award at New York’s Carnegie Hall earlier this month at the 2015 Glamour 'Woman of the Year' awards.

The step-father of Kim Kardashian and father of Kendall Jenner, who first appeared as a woman on the cover of Vanity Fair earlier this year, thanked her family for their love and support.

Caitlyn Jenner on the front cover of Vanity Fair

"I've had many, many, many years of isolation of hiding from the world, lying to the world, of not being myself,” she said.

Glamour magazine told the NY Daily Post they stood by the decision to honour Jenner and did not feel it diminished Smith’s award.

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They said: "We were proud to honour his wife... in 2001, and we stand by our decision to honour Caitlyn Jenner.

Glamour's Women of the Year Awards recognise women with a variety of backgrounds and experiences".

James Smith's Facebook post in full