Boston bomb survivors are guests at Obama speech

Two survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing and an openly gay NBA player are several people among the list who will be present for President Barack Obamas State of the Union address on Tuesday. The guests will be sitting alongside first lady Michelle Obama. Guests are typically chosen because they symbolize an issue or policy the president is promoting. The guests who will be attending so far are Carlos Arredondo and Jeff Bauman, survivors of the Boston bombing; Jason Collins, the first active male athlete to come out as gay; Gary Bird, a fire chief from Oklahoma who helped during a massive tornado; Kathy Hollowell-Makle, teacher of the year in the DC public school system; and Joey Hudy, a participant in 2012 science fair held at the White House. Other guests’ names will be released ahead of Obama’s speech.