December 3rd

12-04-1969 Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter) – Born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He is a straight ally. Jay-Z is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. In an interview with CNN, he stated, “What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. It’s no different than discrimination against Blacks. It’s discrimination, plain and simple.” In 2017, his mother, Gloria Carter, came out as a lesbian. On Jay-Z’s album, 4:44, the track “Smile” is all about his mother. His mother ends the track with her own words: “Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be / No harm for them, no harm for me / But life is short, and it’s time to be free / Love who you love because life isn’t guaranteed.”

12-04-1822 – 04-05-1904 Frances Power Cobbe – Born in Newbridge House in the family estate in what is now Donabate, County Dublin, Ireland. She was an Irish writer, social reformer, anti-vivisection activist, and leading women’s suffrage campaigner. Cobbe founded a number of animal advocacy groups, two of which are still active today. She was a member of the executive council of the London National Society for Women’s Suffrage. She was the author of a number of books and essays. Cobbe was in what she considered a marriage with sculptor Mary Lloyd, whom she met in Rome in 1861. They lived together from 1864 until Lloyd’s death in 1896. In letters and published writing, Cobb referred to Lloyd as “husband”, “wife”, and “dear friend.”

12-04-1920 – 01-08-2013 Jeanne Manford – Born in Flushing, New York City, New York. In 1972, her gay son, Morty, had been beaten while distributing flyers inside the 15th annual Inner Circle dinner, a political gathering in New York City. She was an American schoolteacher and became an LGBT activist. Manford co-founded the support group Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Obama.