Freelance photographer Judith Rolfe was at the White House to photograph the event for the Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest civil rights organization working on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.

The Matthew Shepard Act, which was part of the larger National Defense Authorization Act for 2010, expands hate-crime legislation to include crimes motivated by actual or perceived bias against gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The act was named for hate-crime victims Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.

“It was a significant bill signing. This bill had been in the works for 10 years. The senator that had the strongest voice on it and who tried to keep getting it on the floor and get it passed was Sen. [Ted] Kennedy. So when the president spoke about the need for this being passed, you could tell he had a personal tone to his speech at that point,” Rolfe said.

The event was broken into two parts. First, President Barack Obama, surrounded by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and members of Congress, signed the bill. Following that was a short, but informal reception.

“Secretary Gates spoke first, and then the president spoke. Then the president sat down and signed this bill,” Rolfe said.

After the signing, Rolfe transmitted her photos back to the Human Rights Campaign from the White House briefing room.

“It was kind of a neat thing to be down in the belly of the briefing room. It was very exciting,” she said.

The reception afterward featured 200 to 300 invited guests, mostly gay activists, she said. Obama walked into the room accompanied by Shepard’s parents, Judy and Dennis. Rolfe said Obama made some brief remarks, reiterating Kennedy’s and the Shepard family’s role in getting the legislation passed.

“The whole reception lasted only a half an hour. After he made those remarks, he gave the Shepards and the Byrd sisters each a pen from the previous signing of the day, which was very emotional for everyone in the room,” Rolfe said. “It was a much more relaxed atmosphere. The president was very personable as he walked through the crowd and shook hands.”

Rolfe, who was born in Worcester County, Md., and now lives in Lewes, jumped at the chance to photograph the event.

“Usually the White House has its own photographer and relies on a pool of photographers. It’s unusual to be able to send a photographer to an event like this,” Rolfe said.

“I came up early in the morning. There’s a whole bunch of security protocol you have to go through. There are presets you have to go through to establish your position.” Originally, the signing was going to take place in the Rose Garden but because of rain the night before, it was moved into the East Room of the White House, which, Rolfe said, turned out to be advantageous for her.

“As a photographer, the light is controlled, whereas in the Rose Garden, it can be cloudy one minute and sunny the next. It was very bright and sunny and high contrast, so I was glad it was in the East Room,” she said. “Plus it was warmer.”

Despite living in Lewes these days, Rolfe spent most of her professional life in Washington, D.C. She worked as a photo editor at USA Today for 11 years before becoming a freelancer. She moved back to the Cape Region to escape the big city after 9/11.

Besides her work as a photographer, Rolfe also teaches digital photography, conducts workshops and leads regional photo expeditions, walks and scavenger hunts.

Rolfe said she has been involved with the legislation for 10 years, first covering the story through the Shepard family.

In addition, she has worked with CAMP Rehoboth, donating artwork to the Sundance Festival, participating in events and occasionally lending her photography skills.

“My feeling is, I thought this legislation was long overdue, too. I’m surprised it took so long to pass. It’s significant, especially because this is the first piece of civil rights legislation for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people,” she said. “This covers the whole community now.”