The takeaway from the Times story on the prevalence of gay parenting in the South is not that a gay utopia blossoms south of the Mason-Dixon line. It's how important it is for people to create institutions that reflect them.

[Jacksonville, Florida; March 21. Image via Getty]

A plucky 8-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida is petitioning her mayor to let her neighbors keep their cat. The neighbors' cat was taken away after they refused to keep the cat on a leash. [UPI]