1, A transgender professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University has won a federal discrimination case against the university system for denying her tenure based on her gender. Rachel Tudor was awarded over $1 million in the case that had been in litigation since 2011. Jillian T. Weiss, one of Tudor’s attorneys, told Buzzfeed News, “We can win even when the government is not recognizing our rights… Transgender people are protected from discrimination, and employers should take notice, whether the government is on your side or not.”
2. Liz Johnson has become the first out lesbian and only the second woman to win the Pro Bowlers Association Chameleon Championship, besting Anthony Pepe, who is openly gay. The tournament airs Dec. 17 on ESPN.
3. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced via Twitter that on Nov. 28, the Canadian government will issue a formal apology to LGBTQ Canadians “for the persecution & injustices they have suffered, and to advance together on the path to equality & inclusion.”
4. The religious right is again finding deep meaning in the design of Starbucks’ holiday cups, but not because they’ve deemed this year’s cups to be too secular. Controversy is brewing over a pair of gender-neutral linked hands, which some claim to be “totally gay” and pushing a “gay agenda.”
5. VIDEO OF THE DAY: Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a lesbian drug lord in the surprisingly gritty Lifetime movie “Cocaine Godmother,” airing in January.