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The tech entrepreneur was praised for his advocacy on behalf of gay and lesbian Americans.
Tim Gill, the founder of software company Quark, has been awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom for his LGBTQ+ activism.
The Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honour in the US and is presented to “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
The 71-year-old entrepreneur, who is openly gay, was honoured by President Joe Biden at a ceremony on 4 January for his advocacy on behalf of gay and lesbian Americans.
Gill founded Quark in 1981. In 1999, he sold his stake in the company and channelled his profits into activism, becoming an influential figure for LGBQT+ rights. By 2019, he was the single largest individual donor to the LGBTQ+ rights movement in US history, having personally committed more than $500m to the cause since the early 1990s.
According to his medal citation, Gill was gifted the prestigious award for his part in leading “the fight against HIV-AIDS, laid the groundwork for marriage equality and so much more”.
Gill was also commended for “his strong character, unwavering resolve and indisputable effectiveness in fighting for love and equality”.
Explaining the decision to include Gill among the recipients, The White House said in an official statement: “Tim Gill is a visionary entrepreneur whose work has advanced LGBTQI rights and equality. After transforming the publishing industry through groundbreaking software, he leveraged his success to secure key victories in the fight for marriage equality and anti-discrimination protections.”
Gill’s activism comes at a time of renewed anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the US. According to a 2022 survey by the Center for American Progress, reports of discrimination from 2021 to 2022 were elevated among LGBTQ+ respondents of colour (45pc), LGBTQ+ individuals with disabilities (47pc), and transgender or non-binary individuals (56pc), as well as people with intersex traits (67pc).
And while the Biden administration has issued executive orders aimed at combatting discrimination against LGBTQ+ adults, this has been met with an increasing number of individual US states enacting policies seeking to restrict access to certain types of care for LGBTQ+ people.
Alongside Gill, other recipients of the Medal of Freedom included Hilary Clinton, Jane Goodall, Bono of U2, George Soros, Denzel Washington, Lionel Messi and Michael J Fox.
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