Judy Shepard—the mother of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, who was slain in 1998—was honored as one of the 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 3.
According to the official White House press release, “Shepard is the co-founder of the Matthew Shephard Foundation, an organization created in honor of her son who was murdered in one of the nation’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes. Her work has driven tremendous progress in our fight to give hate no safe harbor.”
Lesbian scientist Jane Rigby also received a medal. The press release stated that Rigby is “an astronomer who grew up in Delaware [and] is the chief scientist of the world’s most powerful telescope. A prolific researcher, Dr. Rigby embodies the American spirit of adventure and wonder.”
The Advocate specified that Rigby is a civil servant astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the senior project scientist at the James Webb Space Telescope. (In 2022, NASA refused to rename the telescope, as there was controversy because there were claims that Webb was a NASA administrator who led the agency at a time when the government persecuted gay and lesbian workers, media outlets reported. However, the agency "found no evidence that Webb was either a leader or proponent of firing government employees for their sexual orientation,” according to NPR.)
Last year, President Biden issued a statement marking the 25th anniversary of Matthew’s death. In part, he said, “Matthew’s tragic and senseless murder shook the conscience of the American people. And his courageous parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, turned Matthew’s memory into a movement, galvanizing millions of people to combat the scourge of anti-LGBTQI+ hate and violence in America.
“As Vice President, I had the honor of helping to enact the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which extended federal hate crimes laws to cover sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. This legislation is a lasting tribute to Matthew, a testament to the relentless advocacy of Judy and Dennis, and an important step forward for our country.”
Some of the other medal recipients included former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Father Greg Boyle, Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky; former U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and John Kerry; former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh; former talk-show host Phil Donahue; former Vice President Al Gore; and the late civil-rights leader Medgar Evers.
