Late PFLAG founder honored with Citizens Medal

Iconic photo of PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford and her son Morty in 1970s NYC gay rights parade.

The late Jeanne Manford, founder of PFLAG, marches alongside her son Morty in a 1972 gay rights parade in NYC (Photo courtesy PFLAG)

BY ZACK FORD
ThinkProgress

On Friday, President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Citizens Medals to several recipients, among whom was the late Jeanne Manford, who publicly defended her gay son and founded Parents, Friends, & Family of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to advocate for other gay sons. The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian award, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The President is quoted: “Jeanne’s courage lives on in progress she fought for and in PFLAG, the organization she founded, which today claims more than 200,000 members and supporters in over 350 chapters.  For insisting that equality knows no bounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, the United States honors Jeanne Manford.”

Read more at ThinkProgress.org

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