Two members of the LGBT community have posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at this year’s ceremony at the White House. Civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and pioneering astronaut Sally Ride were honored at the White House ceremony Nov. 20. Their surviving partners – Walter Naegle and Tam O’Shaughnessy, respectively – accepted the awards.
Rustin and Ride are part of an impressive roster of honorees, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, baseball legend Ernie Banks, former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, former Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye (posthumously), professor Daniel Kahneman, former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, country music superstar Loretta Lynn, scientist Mario Molina, jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, record-breaking basketball coach Dean Smith, author and advocate Gloria Steinem, minister and organizer Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian, Judge Patricia Wald and television personality/businesswoman/actress Oprah Winfrey.
Opening the ceremony President Barack Obama said, “This is one of my favorite events every year, especially special this year, as I look at this extraordinary group of individuals and our opportunity to honor them with our nation’s highest civilian honor – the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Bayard Rustin spent half a century advocating and organizing for the issues of peace, economic justice, civil rights – utilizing a model of non-violent resistance as one of his guiding principles.
Born in West Chester, Penn., Rustin moved to Harlem in the mid-1930s and was a student at New York City College. Angered by the fate of the Scottsboro Nine (a case in which nine African American men were falsely convicted of raping two white women), Rustin soon joined the American Communist Party. He believed the communists’ focus on civil rights was a perfect outlet for his desire to take action.
Soon after, Rustin met the man who would become one of the greatest influences on his life and work, A. Philip Randolph. Randolph was president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and a member of the Socialist Party. Randolph was opposed to communism, and soon after meeting him, Rustin left the Communist Party.
Randolph and Rustin worked together to plan for a March on Washington, scheduled to take place in the summer of 1941 with a focus on racial discrimination in the military. After U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive Order barring discrimination in defense industries and federal bureaus, that march was cancelled.
Rustin spent the next few years working with the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and along with George Houser and James Farmer, founded the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE). This is where Rustin’s knowledge of, and commitment to, the use of non-violent resistance as taught by Mahatma Gandhi began to come into play.
That ideal would soon challenge Rustin personally. Raised as a Quaker and a pacifist, Rustin refused to register for the draft. He also declined to sign up for one of the alternate service options in the Civilian Public Service (CPS). In early 1944, he was charged with violating the Selective Service Act and served three years in a federal penitentiary.
Rustin spent most of the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s organizing for social justice in the U.S. and abroad. One of his pioneering actions was a “freedom ride” designed to challenge the Jim Crow laws that were overturned in 1946, and which was the model for the Freedom Rides of the early 1960s. In the 1950s, Rustin assisted Dr. Martin Luther, King Jr. in the early days of the Montgomery bus boycott. He was one of King’s key advisors on the strategies of non-violent protest.
Rustin was fairly open about his sexual orientation, which was unusual during that time. He did pay a price for his sexuality, especially after he was arrested in California on “morals charges” and lost his job with FOR.
As planning began for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, many community leaders – including the NAACP’s Roy Wilkins – opposed Rustin’s involvement because of his past affiliation with the Communist Party, his refusal to register for the draft and his homosexuality. However, Randolph and King knew that Rustin’s vision and organizational skills were vital to the success of the March, and he was made the deputy director and chief organizer of the historic 1963 March.
The depth and breadth of Rustin’s contributions to peace and human rights remain largely unknown – in spite of his work, he is still not nearly as well-known or regarded as many of his contemporaries. In an effort to ensure his legacy is not lost, historians, authors and filmmakers have produced such works as the film Brother Outsider and the biography Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin by John D’Emilio.
Rustin and Naegle were together for a decade, from 1977 until Rustin’s death in August 1987. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, making this presidential recognition even more meaningful.
In his recognition of Rustin at the ceremony, President Obama said, “So, for decades, this great leader, often at Dr. King’s side, was denied his rightful place in history because he was openly gay. No medal can change that, but today, we honor Bayard Rustin’s memory by taking our place in his march towards true equality, no matter who we are or who we love.”
Dr. Sally Ride joined NASA in 1978. In 1983, she became the first American woman – and at age 32, the youngest overall – astronaut to travel to space. As such, Ride became a role model to generations of young women. She spent her life advocating for science education and encouraging girls and young women to pursue careers in the sciences.
Ride earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, along with her doctorate, at Stanford, where she later served with the university’s Center for International Security and Arms Control. She was the only person to serve on the review panels for the United States’ two space shuttle disasters, Challenger and Columbia.
Later, she formed her own company, Sally Ride Science, and wrote seven children’s science books with O’Shaughnessy. Ride also served as an advisory on space exploration for several presidential administrations.
As Tam O’Shaughnessy accepted the award on Ride’s behalf, President Obama said, “Thirty years ago, Dr. Sally K. Ride soared into space as the youngest American and first woman to wear the Stars and Stripes above Earth’s atmosphere. As an astronaut, she sought to keep America at the forefront of space exploration. As a role model, she fought tirelessly to inspire young people – especially girls – to become scientifically literate and to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. At the end of her life, she became an inspiration for those battling pancreatic cancer, and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.”
Ride passed away July 23, 2012 at age 61 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The inclusion of O’Shaughnessy as Ride’s partner of 27 years in her obituary served, in many quarters, as her coming out. This news drew a mixed response from the LGBT community, with some quick to celebrate her historic accomplishments and others quick to criticize her failure to come out sooner or contribute to the LGBT community.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Executive Order signed by President John F. Kennedy establishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Kennedy bestowed the honor on an inaugural class of 31 recipients. Since that time, more than 500 exceptional individuals from all corners of society have been awarded the honor.
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours. This year’s honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world. It will be my honor to present them with a token of our nation’s gratitude,” said President Obama.
