(Editor's note: Today, the FBI announced that it would investigate the murder of Marco McMillian.)

Marco McMillian was a trailblazer, and the pride of the Mississippi Delta.

Just in his 20s, Ebony magazine in 2004 hailed him as on the nation's 30 leaders under the age of 30. And in his 30s, the Mississippi Business Journal hailed him as one of the "Top 40 Leaders under 40."

But at age 34, McMillian's life was mysteriously cut short.

(Editor's note: Cardinal Keith O'Brien, 74, of Scotland [pictured at left], the highest ranking Roman Catholic Church clergy in the United Kingdom, resigned last week and later admitted to having inappropriate relationships with three priests and a seminary student.

(Editor’s note: Lane Hudson’s commentary first appeared in Out and has been submitted to SDGLN as well.)

Corporate America has become a leader on issues of LGBT equality. Thanks to many things—including the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and robust employee resource groups—corporate policies are usually far ahead of laws providing for the general LGBT population.

I got a lesson in acceptance and a lesson in understanding, over the weekend. I am the person who is always writing about how others need to be more accepting and understanding of the gay community and it seems I was the one who needed to be taught the lesson.

I went to my granddaughter’s quinceanera. My daughter Stacey married a Latino man who has a beautiful daughter by a previous marriage, and she turned 15 this month. I knew nothing of quinceaneras - I had to look up how to spell it – that’s how much I knew.