It was a year of setbacks and progress. ( Look at the issue of marriage equality alone, with denials in California, New York and Maine, but advances in Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont. ) Here is the list of national LGBT highlights and lowlights for 2009:
Making history: Barack Obama was sworn in as the United States' 44th president, becoming the country's first African-American chief executive in the process. Openly gay Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire was selected to deliver the invocation at the inauguration's kick-off event Jan. 18—calming some LGBT-rights activists, who contested the selection of evangelical minister the Rev. Rick Warren, who delivered the invocation at the actual inauguration.
Joining in: Openly lesbian law professor Alison J. Nathan was appointed as one of 14 attorneys to serve as counsel to President Obama in the White House. Over the year, Obama would appoint dozens of gay and lesbian individuals to various positions in his administration, including Jeffrey Crowley, who heads the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and John Berry, who is director of the Office of Personnel Management.
Immigration initiative: U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler re-introduced a bill Feb. 12 that would enable gay Americans to sponsor their foreign same-sex partners for legal residency in the United States. Unfortunately, a bill introduced Dec. 15 by Rep. Luis Gutierrez ( of Illinois ) —known as The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009—failed to include gays and lesbians.
Out of Focus: Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson resigned as chairman of anti-gay organization Focus on the Family. Dobson continues to host the organization's radio program, write a monthly newsletter and speak out on moral issues.
A mad GLAD: The people who brought marriage equality to Massachusetts and Connecticut—Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders ( GLAD ) —filed a lawsuit March 3 in federal court in Boston, seeking to challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) . In the case, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, the plaintiffs sought a declaration that DOMA, enacted in 1996, is unconstitutional. The Department of Justice filed a motion in September to dismiss the suit, and GLAD has filed a response.
Money business: A report—"Poverty in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community," the first report ever to look at the subject in depth—revealed that LGBs are more likely to be poor than their heterosexual counterparts, despite the myth of gay affluence.
Making a statement: The Obama administration signed a United Nations official statement of support for "Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity." In signing the statement, the United States joins 66 other nations in declaring support for LGBT people to be afforded basic human rights.
Vermont victory: Same-sex marriage in Vermont began Sept. 1, 2009. Vermont was the first state to introduce civil unions in July 2000, and the first state to legislate same-sex marriage.
Getting an education: In an historic first, GLSEN ( Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ) Executive Director Eliza Byard and a delegation of students and teachers met with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in Washington, D.C., March 23 to discuss the importance of anti-bullying efforts to the Obama administration's education reform agenda.
"I do" in Iowa: In an enormous victory for equal marriage rights for gay couples, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously April 3 that gay couples should have the right to marriage licenses the same as heterosexual couples. Same-sex marriage became legal April 27.
A sad tale: Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, 11, hung himself at home April 6 after enduring bullying at his Springfield, Mass., school, including daily taunts of being gay—even though there was no specific proof he was gay. His mother reportedly complained to the school weekly. This was at least the fourth suicide of a middle school-aged child linked to bullying this year, reported GLSEN.
A page-turner: Amazon.com censored more than 57,000 books—including many LGBT-themed ones—in what was chalked up to "an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error for a company that prides itself on offering complete selection."
Minute by minute: The Obama administration held a high-profile unveiling of a new HIV/AIDS public-awareness campaign in April. The first phase of the campaign, "9½ minutes," was based upon the fact that one U.S. resident becomes newly infected with HIV every nine and a half minutes.
Carrie-d away: Miss California contestant Carrie Prejean started a firestorm by stating to judge Perez Hilton that she was against same-sex marriage. However, it would hardly be the only time Prejean would be in the news, as she did everything from promoting a book to being implicated in a sex-tape scandal. Prejean lost her Miss California title.
Library's loss: A federal judge ruled that trans veteran Diane Schroer is entitled to the maximum compensation for the discrimination she suffered after the Library of Congress denied her a job.
Marriage in New Hampshire: New Hampshire's House and Senate approved a marriage-equality bill, which the governor signed June 3. Same-sex marriage will become legal there Jan. 1, 2010, replacing civil unions.
The century mark: Members of the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) —the largest national LGBT civil-rights organization—held events across the nation called "First 100 Days" on April 30 to mark ( you guessed it ) President Obama's first 100 days in office.
Love and 8: In one of the most anticipated court decision in the past five years, the California Supreme Court ruled May 26 that the state's anti-same-sex-marriage amendment Proposition 8 was valid law, but that the 18,000-plus marriage certificates issues to gay couples prior to its passage last November remain valid.
A matter of principles: A diverse group of 24 gay-rights activists, Democratic Party organizers and fundraisers came up with a manifesto called The Dallas Principles. The document is a call to arms, and lists principles and goals of the LGBT community.
I'm coming out: Confirming the speculation about his sexuality, American Idol runner-up came out officially in Rolling Stone magazine. Also, former Family Ties star Meredith Baxter announced to the world that she is a lesbian.
Actions speak louder than words: President Barack Obama signed a proclamation designating June as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month." However, many LGBT-rights advocates criticized the move, saying Obama had not done nearly enough for the LGBT community.
Bad Smelt: In Smelt v. U.S., a somewhat obscure gay-marriage case in California, the U.S. Department of Justice ( DoJ ) submitted a brief June 11 that many LGBT activists saw as a betrayal of President Barack Obama's promise to work to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Several groups, including Lambda Legal, issued a joint statement saying, in part, "The administration is using many of the same flawed legal arguments that the Bush administration used." A subsequent DoJ brief stated that the Obama administration "does not support DOMA."
Plea to the president: Seventy-seven members of Congress wrote President Obama, requesting that implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" be suspended until Congress can repeal that law. The letter specifically mentioned Lt. Daniel Choi, a West Point grad, Arabic linguist and Iraq War vet "who is under investigation for refusing to lie about his identity."
Remembering Stonewall: The 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots—a series of violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City—was noted with events all over the nation.
Being inclusive: U.S. Rep. Barney Frank—who had previously promoted a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ) that excluded gender identity—introduced a trans-inclusive version in the House June 24. Hearings have since been held, with people such as Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan testifying in favor of the measure.
Bar none: In Fort Worth, Texas, police and Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission ( TABC ) agents reportedly entered the Rainbow Lounge gay bar and began forcibly arresting people for public intoxication; one patron was hospitalized with a brain injury. The head of the TABC later said that the raid was a mistake.
Showing their medal: Late gay-rights activist Harvey Milk and lesbian tennis legend Billie Jean King were among 16 honorees who received the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama Aug. 12. Regarding Milk, a White House press release said, "Milk encouraged [ LGBT ] citizens to live their lives openly and believed coming out was the only way they could change society and achieve social equality."
One argument against therapy: The American Psychological Association published a resolution explicitly stating that mental-health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments.
Kiss, kiss: Thousands of people took to the streets in dozens of cities Aug. 15 as part of "The Great Nationwide Kiss-In" to protest recent harassment and arrests of same-sex couples for kissing in public. Locally, two events took place in Chicago ( in Grant Park ) and Oak Park.
The church's choice: In Minneapolis, delegates at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's biennial meeting voted 559-451 on Aug. 21 to ordain ministers in committed, same-sex relationships—although they did not endorse same-sex marriage.
Buju ban: After several LGBT-rights organizations expressed outrage, concert promoters Live Nation and AEG canceled most of reggae dancehall singer Buju Banton's fall concerts. According to these groups, the lyrics in some of his songs are vehemently anti-gay—to the point where they call for the killing of gay people.
Cleveland rocks: Cleveland, Ohio, was awarded the 2014 Gay Games in a press conference held in Cologne, Germany—the site of the '10 Games. The other finalists were Boston, Mass., and Washington, D.C.
Marching on: Coinciding with National Coming Out Day, at least 200,000 individuals participated in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. The 2.3-mile march ended at the Capitol with hours of speeches, including by pop-music sensation Lady Gaga. The previous night, the Human Rights Campaign held its annual gala, which featured a speech by President Obama.
The Maine event: Residents in Maine narrowly voted to repeal the state's new marriage-equality law. Marriage-equality advocates made up the "No on 1" camp, which tried to defeat the initiative.
Free to travel: President Barack Obama announced Oct. 30 that his administration will end the long-standing policy at Health and Human Services ( HHS ) that banned immigration by people with HIV. He announced the policy change during a ceremony at the White House, where he signed a bill to reauthorize the Ryan White program to help people with HIV and low incomes.
Acting against hate: Saying "no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love," Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act—included as an amendment within the National Defense Authorization Act—Oct. 28.
Closed Window: Window Media shut down several gay newspapers around the country, including the Washington Blade and the Southern Voice. Blade editor Kevin Naff said Window officials told him the company "was forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which means liquidation."
Remembering Jorge: In a killing whose brutality stunned many, gay 19-year-old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was decapitated, partially burned and dismembered on an isolated street in Puerto Rico. People around the country held vigils, including an emotional one in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Crime time: New data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation appeared to show an increase in bias-motivated crimes—hate crimes—on the basis of sexual orientation in 2008.
State of denial: The New York State Senate rejected a bill to legalize same-sex marriage Dec. 2 in a 38-24 vote. The bill had passed the Assembly repeatedly and Gov. David Paterson was hoping to sign it into law.
Georgia on my mind: Simone Bell became the first Black lesbian elected to a state legislature in the United States after winning her race in Georgia, defeating attorney Asha Jackson.
Major mayor: Annise Parker, an openly gay public official, won the final mayoral election race in Houston Dec. 12, becoming the first openly gay person to be elected as mayor of one of the top five most populated cities in the United States. The victory made Parker head of the fourth largest populated city in the country.
Making a federal case: The Washington, D.C., city council voted Dec. 15 to give final approval to a marriage-equality law. While Democratic Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the bill Dec. 18, the District of Columbia is a federal territory and, therefore, Congress has 30 in-session days to take action to overturn the measure.
Passages:
Martin Delaney—a giant in the world of HIV/AIDS activism who founded Project Inform—died of liver cancer at his home in San Raphael, Calif., Jan. 23 at the age of 63. Project Inform was one of the first and, some say, best organizations to educate and empower patients in making healthcare decisions. Peter Staley—an early member of ACT UP New York and founder of AIDSmeds.com—said that Delaney, a Chicago native, "indirectly helped tens of thousands of people by shaping clinical trials, the development of HIV drugs, and policies affecting treatment access and the price of drugs."
Out AIDS leader Rodger McFarlane took his own life May 15 at the age of 54. As he explained in a letter left behind, the increasingly disabling heart and back pain he experienced were more than he chose to endure.
George Tiller, 67, one of the few doctors in the nation who performed late-term abortions, was shot to death in a Wichita, Kan., church May 31. Suspect Scott Roeder, 51, was located almost 200 miles away, near Kansas City. In November, Roeder admitted to killing Tiller and was unapologetic, saying he murdered the physician to protect unborn children.
Lesbian Mary "Mandy" Doolittle was among the nine individuals killed when a Washington, D.C., Metro subway train plowed into the back of a second train. She was planning a return trip to Italy with Carol Anne Douglas, her partner of 15 years.
Walter Cronkite, the TV journalism giant who has covered some of the most historic moments of modern times, died July 17 at 92. Mark Segal, publisher of Philadelphia Gay News, said, "Walter embodied a tried and true journalist, one who covered all sides of the story and was committed to the idea of bringing news to the public."
Nationally known AIDS activist Dennis deLeon died Dec. 14 of heart failure at age 61. In 1993, deLeon, who was the human-rights commissioner for New York City, wrote an op-ed for the New York Times in which he revealed his HIV status. After going public, he formed the Latino commission on AIDS.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who fought for equal rights for gays on many fronts and was an early defender of people with HIV, died Aug. 25; he had been suffering from brain cancer. As author of ENDA, he led the debate in 1996 when the Senate came within one vote of passing the bill.
Rusty Gordon passed away Oct. 27 after losing her fight last night with progressive supranuclear palsy. Among her many accomplishments were producing one of the first-ever women-only women's music festivals and being involved with many LGBT causes through Equality Florida and other groups.
