It was announced Monday that Edie Windsor and Judy Shepard will be among the guests of honor at this summer’s 50th-anniversary celebration of the Annual Reminder Days.
Windsor, a Philadelphia native, sued the federal government, bringing about the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking a key portion of the federal ban on same-sex marriage. Shepard is the mother of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 and after whom federal LGBT-inclusive hate-crimes legislation is named.
Both women will be presented International Role Model Awards in Philadelphia the weekend of July 4, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Annual Reminder Days, the first group LGBT-rights demonstration, which took place outside Independence Hall from 1965-69.
“In the documentary ‘Edie & Thea, A Very Long Engagement,’ there is a scene taken 50 years ago of our forerunners marching in Philadelphia, carefully dressed,” Windsor said in a statement “Last year when the film was showing in Philly at the gay film festival, I was overjoyed to see and be in the Gayborhood, interacting with the flourishing LGBT community, so I am really looking forward to being in Philly again this July.”
Windsor added she is “thrilled and grateful” to receive the honor, a sentiment echoed by Shepard, president and co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
“We saw in 1998 that Matt’s death was international news and having an impact well beyond the shores of the United States,” she said. “Dennis and I have been honored to take on several State Department missions abroad, from Jamaica and Poland to Mexico and Singapore, to build understanding and support for equality in some very rapidly changing societies. As the world grows ever smaller and more connected, we are honored to be recognized for being a part of helping make the LGBT community better understood and more connected with communities around the world.”
For more information about the Annual Reminder anniversary activities, visit lgbt50.org.