Billie Jean King and Harvey Milk Get Presidential Medals Today

by Michael Jones · 2009-08-12 04:18:00 UTC
Topics:

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Two of the most influential LGBT people in the last fifty years are due to get the Presidential of Freedom Medal today.  Billie Jean King, the legendary lesbian tennis player, and Harvey Milk, the legendary gay San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978 after becoming the first openly gay man elected to political office in the country, are due to be honored by President Barack Obama today.

There are many other power players receiving awards today, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, former Irish President Mary Robinson, Senator Ted Kennedy, and actor Sidney Poitier.  Looking at that list, there are a couple of very LGBT-friendly straight allies (Tutu, Kennedy) getting medals, too.

Obama called all of this individuals "Agents of Change," which as a blogger at change.org is definitely a term I'm pleased by :)  But when it comes to talking about how significant it is for both Billie Jean King and Harvey Milk to win these awards, it goes even a bit further.  Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund President Chuck Wolfe said that in Milk's case, his award is both a chance to remember what might have been if Milk weren't killed, but also a chance to remember that Milk represented the aspirations of all Americans.

This is a moment that will transcend identity politics because Harvey Milk represents the aspirations of all Americans. More than 200 years ago Washington, Jefferson and Adams fought to create a more perfect union. They probably had no idea that their vision would be embodied in the late 20th century by a gay, Jewish camera shop owner in San Francisco...

Milk's murder could have had a chilling effect on the then burgeoning gay rights movement...Instead it's a testament to American idealism that in the 30 years since Milk's assassination, we have continued to appreciate and honor his political work.

In her own right, King is thought to be the first female athlete to receive this honor, a testament to both her amazing ability as a sports star, as well as her commitment to equal rights.  King commeted to the Associated Press in the wake of the announcement that she'd receive the Presidential Medal:

I think it's the first time the LGBT community has been acknowledged. It's another breakthrough.

Agents of change, breaking through and being honored by the highest office in the United States.  Yup, today is going to be one of those days where LGBT history gets written.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Rick Santorum Dips Anti-LGBT Toes into 2012 Presidential Campaign
NEXT STORY:
On Aeroflot's Birthday, Russian Activists Condemn Company's Anti-Gay Record. And You Can Help.

COMMENTS (3)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.