President Barack Obama named 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, which is 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."
Of the many men and women noted, legendary musical theater composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim is the only openly gay one.
The rest of the list includes: Yogi Berra (posthumous), Bonnie Carroll, Shirley Chisholm (posthumous), Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan, Billy Frank, Jr. (posthumous), Lee Hamilton, Katherine G. Johnson, Willie Mays, Barbara Mikulski, Itzhak Perlman, William Ruckelshaus, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Minoru Yasui (posthumous).
The awards will be presented November 24 at the White House.
