Mychal Judge established the St. Francis AIDS Ministry in New York City at the height of the AIDS crisis and devoted himself to helping people with AIDS and HIV, visiting patients, attending funerals, and befriending gay activists. In 2000 he marched in the city’s first gay-inclusive St. Patrick’s Day parade. However, he faced disapproval from the Archdiocese of New York for his ministry to the gay community. After his death on September 11, 2001, the Mychal Judge Police and Fire Chaplains Public Safety Officers’ Benefit Act was passed in 2002. The act made fire and police chaplains killed in the line of duty eligible for federal death benefits and extended benefits to domestic and same-sex partners listed as beneficiaries.
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