"I have been more right than wrong. If ever there was a time to be grateful and relieved for being mistaken, this is that time. Only God is right all the time."Psychic Sylvia Browne responds to criticism in May that she wrongly predicted the death of kidnap victim Amanda Barry in 2004. When Louwana Miller asked if her daughter was still alive, Sylvia quickly said, "She's not alive, honey." Browne herself died in Novembersomething else she was wrong about. She predicted she'd die at 88she was only off by 11 years.
Traditions are a funny thing. You don't think you've started one until you find yourself doing the same thing years later. So since it's the end of 2013, it's time for your beloved Billy to reflect on the most important stories of the year. Normally, that phrase would make me chuckle: "important stories of the year." As if I'm covering the Olympics or reporting near the Afghan front. The closest I got to either of those is bringing home a hot shot putter I met at the Olympic trials, and the two of us waking up under an afghan crocheted by my grandmother. Jealous?
The biggest story of the year was the Supreme Court striking down Prop 8 and California resuming gay marriages. Making the situation even more historic, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first Supreme Court justice to officiate a gay wedding. While all of that was monumental, more far-reaching was the court's ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. This led the way for many states to legalize same-sex marriage. To date, 18 states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage. If I may be so bold as to make a prediction, I believe gay marriage will be legalized on a federal level within five yearsperhaps as soon as Obama's last months in office.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Meredith Baxter ( Birney ), TR Knight and Greg Louganis are some of the many celebrities who took advantage of the changing laws and tied the knot in 2013. Others have announced their engagements, like Nate Berkus, Lance Bass, Neil Patrick Harris, Melissa Etheridge, Matt Dallas and Greg Rikaart.
As the year drew to a close, Dot-Marie Jones from Glee surprised guests at her Christmas party by announcing that they were really there to witness her marriage to girlfriend Bridgett Casteen. The two got engaged in October while visiting Disneyland during the annual Gay Days Anaheim celebrations.
Last year, another Glee castmate got marriedJane Lynch married girlfriend Lara Embry. This year, that couple split up. Rumors of Lynch's desire for a quickie divorce were thwarted when Lara filed for $93,809 per month in spousal support. Since the twosome didn't have a pre-nup and married in California, this is a sticky situation.
Speaking of sticky situations, Cheyenne Jackson found himself in one this past year. In 2012, he married longtime beau Monte Lapka. This year, they divorced. Shortly thereafter, a video of Jackson "pleasuring himself" to completion was...um, leaked ( and can be seen on BillyMasters.com ). Reportedly, the dashing singer was sending the video out to a West Coast paramour. Next time, might I suggest Skype? And some Handi Wipes?
Scandal plagued quite a few celebs this past year. Topping the list are the numerous men suing John Travolta for sexual harassment. Most of these men are masseurs ( or presumed masseurs ) who claim Travolta wanted even more than a happy ending. Most of those suits are pending. It probably didn't help his legal position after Johnny was outed by Margaret Cho! The comedienne talked about working with Travolta on the film Face/Off when she made the following comments: "I'm going to get in trouble but I'll just tell you. He's not just gay. He doesn't just like men. He is like Oscar Wilde gay. Like Lord Byron gay. That kind of crazy, incredibly flamboyant gay."
There have been other celebrities who have found themselves suddenly single. Zachary Quinto and Jonathan Groff split. David Tutera and his beau broke up while awaiting the birth of their children. Marc Jacobs and porn pup Harry Louis are kaput. Even Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs are separatedadmittedly, not a gay story ... but who knows? Of course, the big split was between Ryan Seacrest, Julianne Hough and Derek Hough. I guess Ryan will have to watch his balls drop all by himself this New Year's Eve!
This year, viewers of British television were treated to a new sitcom about a bitchy pair of aging gay men. They are played, with great aplomb, by a pair of sirsIan McKellan and Derek Jacobi. Vicious is the brainchild of the lovely and talented Gary Janetti ( producer and writer of Will & Grace and spousal-equivalent to Brad Goreski ). Happily, the show will turn up stateside on PBS in 2014. But to tide you over, we'll run the brand-spanking-new Christmas special on BillyMasters.com .
One of my favorite stories of 2013 was about Jack Andraka. He is the 16-year-old scientist who discovered a way to detect various cancers within five minutes with a test that costs about three cents. And he's gay! "Being an LGBT teen in science right now is kinda lonely," he said. "Looking around at scientists it's, like, 'Wow, there are no other gay people.' And I'm, like, 'Come on, guysscience. We can go outside of like fashion design and stuff. It doesn't matter who you like, what gender you are, where you come from, none of that matters. It's just your ideas that should count.'" It almost gives one hope for the next generation.
Just a few months back, a reader asked me if Brian Boitano really thought anyone believed he was straight. At the time, I said that having a series on the Food Network, making a cameo in Blades of Glory, and doing a television special called Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular with Barry Manilow was tantamount to coming out. And now he's actually done so. Shortly after President Obama appointed Boitano as a delegate to the Sochi Olympics, Brian issued the following statement, "I am many things: a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, an athlete, a cook, an author, and being gay is just one part of who I am." One small step for man...
When Brian Boitano being gay is news, we've definitely come to the end of yet another year. And what fun we've had. We even threw in some celebrity penises. I didn't get a chance to mention the numerous selfies of Scott Evans, Dylan Sprouse and oodles of others, but you can research them to your heart's content at www.BillyMasters.com, the site that never skimps on skin. Since this is a year wrap-up, I didn't specifically answer an "Ask Billy" question. But I'm always available if you need my assistance. Just write to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I'll get back to you before Margaret Cho takes the stand in the John Travolta sexual assault trial! Until next year, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.