January
4: The 110th Congress is sworn in with Nancy Pelosi --
in a baby-blue power suit -- as House speaker. The
same day Democrat Deval Patrick takes the oath of
office as the first African-American governor of
Massachusetts -- and just the second black governor in U.S.
history. The gay-friendly Patrick ushers in a new age
for the Bay State, which endured four years of the
homophobic Mitt Romney.
15: Two months after
Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington spat
out the other f word during an on-set scuffle with
costar Patrick Dempsey -- prompting series star T.R.
Knight to come out of the closet -- Washington drops
that f bomb again at the Golden Globes telecast,
then lies to reporters about having used the word in the
first place. Grey’s creator Shonda
Rhimes finally kicks him to the curb in June.
31: Overwhelmingly Catholic Mexico registers its first civil
union when two 29-year-old lesbians sign papers in
Coahuila, the first of the nation’s 31 states
to legalize gay unions.
February
2: “Gay American” and former New Jersey
governor Jim McGreevey files for divorce from wife
Dina Matos. Dina later publishes a book blasting her
husband and appears on Oprah.
3: The president of the African nation of Gambia claims
AIDS can be cured by a green herbal ointment, a bitter
yellow drink, and a banana chaser.
25:
Finance guru and Oprah regular Suze Orman comes out in
The New York Times Magazine.
27: Having exited the closet earlier in the
month, John Amaechi, the suave 6-foot-10 former NBA
center for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and
Utah Jazz, tells The Advocate, “I call
on [gay NBA players] to try and live more openly…. I
call on them not to lie and become [outwardly]
homophobic.”
28: Mr. Alva goes to
Washington: Gay marine Eric Alva, the first American
soldier wounded in the Iraq war, urges Congress to abandon
“don’t ask, don’t tell.”
March
2: Calculating harpy Ann Coulter calls Democratic
presidential candidate John Edwards a
“faggot” during a speech at the Conservative
Political Action Conference. Outrage ensues.
21:
Less than two months after Penn State settled a lawsuit by
Jennifer Harris, a former basketball player who
accused coach Rene Portland of “humiliating,
berating, and ostracizing” her because she believed
Harris was gay, Portland resigns. She must have wanted
to spend more time with her family.
21:
Best-selling author Terry McMillan slaps gay ex-husband
Jonathan Plummer with a $40 million lawsuit,
contending that he intentionally smeared her during
their explosive 2005 divorce.
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