obit

The award-winning author and civil rights activist died Wednesday at her home in Winston-Salem, N.C.

When a gym teacher at a Catholic high school in Columbus, Ohio was fired after her mother’s obituary revealed that she was in a lesbian relationship, her supporters, led by her students, initiated a Change.org petition to rehire her that easily surpassed its goal of 10,000 signatures, according to a release.

Actress and LGBT ally Bonnie Franklin, who played a feminist single mother in the 1975-1984 sitcom One Day at a Time, died Friday after a bout with pancreatic cancer. The show, starring Franklin as Ann Romano, mother to Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli), often dealt with social issues, such as teenage pregnancy and drunk driving, with a strong, independent, and relatable woman at its center.