5 LGBT things you need to know today, Dec. 23

1. Gay marriage was the ninth most popular story of the year according to an Associated Press poll of U.S. editors and news directors. The police killings of unarmed black men was number one.

2. “Today, as in the 60s, there is a large discrepancy between America’s feelings on rights for gays and the4r more private feelings about homosexuality.” Al Jazeera America takes a look at the LGBT rights priorities in 2015.

3. The New York Times with an op-ed on the role Mariel Castro, the daughter of Cuba’s president, Raul Castro, has played in advancing LGBT rights in the country and how President Obama’s change in Cuban policy could enhance LGBT equality.

4. “For them, women don’t exist. What would they think of a lesbian?” A Yahoo! News report on being gay in Syria.

5. VIDEO OF THE DAY: The OWN Network has a ninety-minute documentary on gay football player Michael Sam airing Dec. 27.