President Barack Obama and Evan Wolfson
on Monday will each be honored with the Medal of Distinction at
Barnard College on Monday.
Wolfson is the founder and president of
Freedom to Marry, the nation's largest gay marriage advocate.
“I am deeply moved to join with
President Obama to celebrate the next generation of leaders coming up
among Barnard women, and to share the Barnard Medal of Distinction
with him,” Wolfson said in a statement. “And I will thank the
president for doing what we elect presidents to do – showing moral
leadership in standing up for freedom, fairness and families – and
for speaking in such personal terms about the journey he and so many
Americans have made to understand who gay families are and why
marriage matters.”
Obama will deliver the commencement
address to the graduating class of Barnard College. Later in the day
he'll speak at a
major fundraiser with gay and Latino donors hosted by singer Ricky
Martin.
Others being honored include Helen D.
Gayle, the president and CEO of CARE USA, and Sally Chapman, a
Barnard professor of chemistry.