Pictured Wanda Alston
Long speculated upon vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court became a reality this year when Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the bench July 1, pending confirmation of her successor. That matter was complicated by the worsening health and death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist in September.
President Bush nominated Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to fill first O'Connor's then Rehnquist's seat on the Court. The well-respected constitutional litigator had only a short and generally non-controversial record as a judge. And it turned out that he had offered brief but crucial assistance in preparing the attorney who argued the 1996 Romer case; the first significant pro-gay decision by the Court, which struck down Colorado's antigay Amendment Two.
Most liberal and gay groups ended up opposing the Roberts nomination, largely for ideological reasons, but they were able to convince only half the Democrats and no Republicans and he was easily confirmed.
The nomination of Harriett Miers to succeed O'Connor was a short and painful period where unhappy movement conservatives essentially smeared the conservative attorney and assistant to the President.
That resulted in the nomination of Samuel A. Alito Jr., whose 15 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit offers an extensive record to examine. Abortion rights groups have led the way in opposition, while gay groups have less to go on and are holding back, for now. His confirmation hearing is set to begin Jan. 9 and the current odds are that he is likely to be confirmed.
There were no bona fide 'gay' cases before the Court in 2005, but Rumsfeld v. FAIR served as a surrogate. Most law schools viewed the Pentagon's policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell as discriminating against gays and they refused to help recruiters on campus. Congress passed the Solomon Amendment to force them to do so, or else the entire university would lose federal funding. Oral arguments were heard Dec. 6 and a decision is expected in the spring.
POLITICS: Illinois became the 15th state to enact comprehensive gay-rights legislation, after many years of effort. The rare victory was almost forgotten after a year that saw so many defeats in other areas.
The National Black Justice Coalition had a series of meetings and communications with Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam that appeared to be leading to inclusion within the Millions More Movement and its rally on the Mall in October. Those hopes were dashed at the last minute by rally executive director Rev. Willie Wilson. While Keith Boykin did not get to speak, controversial gay leader Cleo Manago was allowed to address the crowd.
Wanda Alston, the Mayor's dynamic liaison to the GLBT community in Washington, D.C., was brutally murdered in her home in March. A drug-crazed neighbor has since pleaded guilty to the murder.
In Spokane, Washington, conservative Republican Mayor Jim West got caught in a double life, bashing gays in public while trolling the Internet for hot teenage males for sex, using the lure of a city job as bait. The story broke in May and the now 'outed' closet case tried to claim that he was being persecuted because he was gay. But the voters didn't buy it, in December they ousted him by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in a special recall election.
Joe Solmonese was named to lead the Human Rights Campaign in March. Marty Rouse, the campaign director behind MassEquality and the fight for GLBT marriage in Massachusetts, will move to D.C. to head up HRC's national field operations.
Marsha Martin departed AIDS Action in August to take on the equally daunting task of running AIDS programs for the city of Washington, D.C., which has the highest rate of infection in the nation. Terje Anderson said that he will leave the National Association of People With AIDS at the end of the year.
Just before Thanksgiving, Rep. Jim Kolbe ( Arizona ) , the only openly gay Republican serving in Congress, announced that he will not run for reelection.
MILITARY: The ongoing war in Iraq has offered opportunity for a steady drumbeat of stories, such as that of Purple Heart recipient Sgt. Robert Stout, of gays and lesbians serving in and being kicked out of the military. Public support for Don't Ask, Don't Tell has continued to erode.
But it will take an act of Congress, or the courts, to reverse the policy. In March, Rep Marty Meehan, D-Mass., introduced a bill to do so, H.R. 1059. By Veterans Day it had gathered a hundred cosponsors.
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ( SLDN ) also went the legal route, filing suit in Boston late last year that challenges Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Motions on Cook v. Rumsfeld were heard in July and a decision as to whether the case will proceed is expected shortly.
RELIGION: Pope John Paul II died in April and the College of Cardinals took little time to select Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as his successor. He took the name of Pope Benedict XVI. Catholic gays and lesbians had little hope for improved relations with the Vatican but that did not lessen the sting when, in November, new guidance was issued for seminarians which signaled a deeper, renewed jihad against those with homosexual tendencies and their allies.
In July the United Church of Christ became the first mainstream Christian church in the U.S. to endorse gay marriage. Other denominations continue to struggle with issues and the roles of gays and lesbians within their traditions, though it appears that the divisiveness of those fights might have peaked.
Rev. Troy Perry retired as the founding moderator of the Metropolitan Community Church, and in November, Rev. Nancy L. Wilson was installed as his successor at a moving ceremony at the National Cathedral.
