Gay marriage won approval from voters in Maine and Maryland and was leading in Washington, marking the first time same-sex unions were approved at the ballot box in the U.S.

The 2012 elections were historic for nearly uncountable reasons.

A Wall Falls

Not only was President Obama—who has publicly announced his support for marriage equality—re-elected, but in his victory speech, the President specifically included "gay or straight" when listing the diverse make-up of our country. This was a speech given after a national presidential election, not a stump speech.  This was President Obama knocking down the wall of silence around sexual orientation as a trait to be used as a reason to discriminate.

If you did not see the speech, you owe it to yourself to see the entire thing. Historic is just one word to describe it, out of many. (The mention of "gay or straight" is at 21:50.)

The Only LGBT Film Festival at Sea Sets Its Sights on Alaska

Pride of the Ocean, the originator of the gay and lesbian film festival at sea, announced its 2013 cruise itinerary. After three consecutive sailings from New York to Bermuda, the floating film festival is heading west.

Next August, LGBT movie buffs will board the Norwegian Pearl in Seattle for a week of food, films and fantastic scenery on the 4th Annual Pride of the Ocean cruise. The ship sails August 18-25, 2013, the best time of the year to visit the 49th State.

A divided federal appeals court in Manhattan struck down the Defense of Marriage Act Thursday as unconstitutional, joining an appeals court in Boston in rejecting the law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the case in the next year.