1. “Give Madelynn and Jean and others like them a break. Stop finding reasons to make life – and in this case, death – harder than it needs to be.” The Idaho Veteran’s Cemetery denied Madelynn Taylor’s request for a burial plot for her late, longtime lesbian partner because they are not legally married. So retired Army colonel Barry Johnson is donating his plot to the couple so they can be together forever.
2. How times have changed. Remember in 2004 when President George W. Bush and the Republicans put a slew of gay marriage bans on the ballots during the presidential election to get more conservative voters to the polls? Well a new study shows that the four marriage equality initiatives on the ballot in the 2012 election pulled more liberal voters to the polls.
3. Staying in the Times Have Changed Department, a British study of college-age male athletes showed that 93 percent reported having spooned or cuddled with a man. The findings jibe with other reports showing younger generations of straight men being more comfortable with intimate contact with other straight men as the stigma of homosexuality lessens. However, American men apparently lag behind the British in terms of their evolution on the issue.
4. Vice President Joe Biden says he sees “no downside” to President Obama issuing an executive order to ban workplace discrimination against LGBT employees of federal contractors. Obama has faced criticism from LGBT rights activists for not doing so, and we can’t imagine Ol’ Smilin’ Joe weighing in made his boss that happy.
5. R&B artist The-Dream released a new song called “Black” which features numerous civil rights leaders and struggles, including multiple sightings of Harvey Milk and a gay pride parade.