Michael Stipe has published a piece for The Guardian in which he reflects on how his life has changed since publicly coming out at the height of R.E.M.’s career. “In 1994, most people had a largely binary perception of sexuality — the message was complicated for them. I am thrilled to see how much this has changed in those 20 years,” Stipe writes. “The 21st century has provided all of us, recent generations particularly, with a clearer idea of the breadth of fluidity with which sexuality and identity presents itself in each individual. Gender identification, and the panoply of sexuality and identity are now topics that are more easily and more widely discussed, debated and talked about openly. It’s thrilling to see progressive change shift perceptions so quickly.” You can read the whole essay here.