Air Force Officer and Lesbian Mom One of Those Killed in Afghanistan Monday
One of the six U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan Monday was the first openly lesbian active-duty U.S. servicemember to die in action. She was also a mom.
in memoriam
Marriage Equality in New Mexico Shows the Power of Parents — and One Mom’s Passing
New Mexico makes 17! Yesterday, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of marriage equality, making 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, that allow same-sex couples to wed — eight states in 2013 alone. All of the plaintiff couples in the case are parents. But in our celebrations of the Land of Enchantment, we should take a moment to remember one mom who was fighting for marriage there while she was fighting for her life.
In Memoriam: Nelson Mandela, Hero of Human Rights
Nelson Mandela, the first Black president of South Africa, died today at the age of 95. His greatest legacy, of course, will be having led the country out of apartheid — but he also had a significant impact on LGBT equality.
In Memoriam: Jennifer Neuman-Roper, Mom and New Mexico Marriage Plaintiff
Jennifer Neuman-Roper, mother of three, spouse of Angelique Neuman-Roper, and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit for the right to marry in New Mexico, died Friday at age 44 of brain cancer, The Advocate reports.
In Memoriam: Charlie Morgan — Officer, Mom, DOMA Plaintiff, Cancer Fighter
The world has lost a fighter for justice. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charlie Morgan of the New Hampshire National Guard, and a lesbian mom, passed away this morning, Outserve-SLDN informs us. She had been fighting stage 4 breast cancer. Morgan was also a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
PFLAG Founder Dies at Age 92
The world has lost a pathbreaker. Jeanne Manford, founder of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), passed away today, barely a month after celebrating her 92nd birthday.
Sally Ride Passes On, and Comes Out
She broke barriers, sonic and otherwise, when she flew into orbit as the first American woman in space. She broke another when she died of pancreatic cancer yesterday, at age 61, and her family let it be known that “Dr. Ride is survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy.”
He Sailed Off, Through Night and Day: Goodbye, Maurice Sendak
Acclaimed children’s author Maurice Sendak died yesterday at the age of 83. I love his books, both the words and the pictures, and their exploration of “the darker side of childhood,” as NPR puts it. Darker, yes, but never bleak or hopeless.
Adrienne Rich: The Passing of a Lesbian Icon
Adrienne Rich was a mother, a lesbian, and one of our country’s foremost poets and writers. Today comes the news that she has died at the age of 82. Below is one of my favorite quotes from her works, about invisibility and diversity.
In Memoriam: Paula Ettelbrick, LGBT Activist and Mother
Paula Ettelbrick, a long-time LGBT activist, died today at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer. Etteblrick was most recently Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation in New York, but her former positions included executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, legal director at Lambda Legal, family policy director
