Mary Bonauto, civil rights director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. (Photo courtesy of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation/Creative Commons).
A Maine civil rights leader will receive one of the nation’s highest civilian honors Thursday.
President Joe Biden is awarding 20 Americans the Presidential Citizens Medal, including attorney and activist Mary Bonauto, who fought to legalize same-sex marriage in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine before arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 in Obergefell v. Hodges, which established marriage equality.
Bonauto called the award an “astonishing honor,” in a quote provided to Maine Morning Star by the GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law).
“The Presidential Citizens Medal represents something fundamental: that we each have a role to play in fulfilling our country’s promises of equality, dignity, and freedom,” she said. “I stand alongside so many courageous individuals who fought for the right to marry, and others across our nation who share a deep desire that all of our community members be treated with fairness and dignity.”
Bonauto began practicing law in Maine in 1987 working for a firm with a reputation for pursuing social justice cases. Since 1990, she has been an attorney at GLAD Law, where she now serves as senior director of civil rights and legal strategies.
She has done policy work in every New England state, but specifically in Maine Bonauto won Law Courts cases allowing unmarried same-sex couples to be recognized as de facto parents and adopt jointly. She’s also worked on reforms in the juvenile justice, criminal justice and child welfare systems.
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree congratulated Bonauto in a statement Thursday afternoon, saying her “relentless dedication to justice and equality has transformed the lives of countless Americans.”
The Democrat from Maine’s 1st Congressional District went on to say, “Mary’s work is a testament to the power of courage and perseverance in the face of adversity, and her impact extends far beyond the courtroom. She has made Maine — and our nation—proud by standing up for the fundamental values of fairness and dignity for all.”
Bonauto has also worked on recent issues in Maine including children’s behavioral health services and a shield law protecting reproductive and gender-affirming care in the state.
A ceremony for the award is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday. It can be watched on the White House’s YouTube Channel or streamed live on the White House website.
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