Mary L. Bonauto and Evan Wolfson—two renowned marriage-equality activists—are among 20 individuals to receive Presidential Citizens Medals on Jan. 2 from President Joe Biden.
According to a statement on the White House website, “Bonauto first fought to legalize same-sex marriage in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine before arguing before the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges, which established marriage equality as the law of the land. Her efforts made millions of families whole and forged a more perfect Union.”
Regarding Wolfson, the release stated, “By leading the marriage equality movement, Evan Wolfson helped millions of people in all 50 states win the fundamental right to love, marry, and be themselves. For 32 years, starting with a visionary law school thesis, Evan Wolfson worked with singular focus and untiring optimism to change not just the law, but society—pioneering a political playbook for change and sharing its lessons, even now, with countless causes worldwide.”
Biden also plans to award the medal to former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, who led the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to NPR, incoming President Donald Trump has criticized Cheney and Thompson, falsely accusing them of committing illegal acts with their investigation into his actions on and around Jan. 6.
Some of the other honorees include former U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Connecticut; Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation founder Diane Carlson Evans; photographer/philanthropist Bobby Sager; activist Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi (posthumous), who challenged the U.S. Supreme Court (and won) after being put in an internment camp; and National Breast Cancer Coalition President Fran Visco.
“The Presidential Citizens Medal is awarded to citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others. The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice,” the release also stated.