Missouri

The foundation for their political beliefs is simple: all people are created equal. Missouri 14-year old eighth-graders Maja, Lucy and Symphonie released a political statement regarding gay rights. It asks viewers to speak out against bullying and advocate for marriage equality. The girls said their families have been supportive of their opinions and beliefs, but the debates come when they talk to their parents' friends. "Usually, when adults try to discourage me because of my age, I try to share my point and my true interest in it," Symphonie said.

The ACLU, PFLAG National, the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Campus Pride and DignityUSA have filed a lawsuit against Camdenton R-III School District after the district ignored warnings that its Internet filtering software had been improperly configured to block access to web content geared toward the LGBT communities. “We have made every effort to inform the school district that its filtering software illegally denies students access to important educational information and resources on discriminatory grounds,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri.

Results from the 2010 Census tells us that Missouri households led by same-sex couples increased by 60 percent over the last decade, compared to the 2000 Census. Almost one-quarter of those homes include children. About 15,000 households are led by same-sex partners in MO, more than 7,000 by male partners and 8,200 by female partners. The majority of same-sex households live in or near Missouri's largest cities, including St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia.

A man rejected by his parents as a teen for being gay has become coordinator for the Missouri Safe Schools Coalition, which includes Missouri's only statewide GLBT advocacy organization. The coalition is made up of some 40 groups statewide, committed to passage of a stronger Missouri Safe Schools Act.

The partner of a Missouri State Police trooper killed in the line of duty says he is entitled to the same benefits as other survivors. Trooper Dennis Englehard (pictured with Kelly Glossip - his committed partner of 15 years) died in the line of duty on Christmas day 2009.

Englehard was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while on an accident call. Kelly Glossip and the ACLU filed a lawsuit, because Glossip believes he's entitled to spousal benefits offered to others whose mates are also killed in the line of duty for the Highway Patrol.

What's been happening in the U.S. over the last ten years? A large increase in the number of gay and lesbian households in the middle of the country.