The Top 12 Gay Political Stories Of 2011

For LGBT Americans, 2011 was a year of enormous triumph and hope, with marriage coming to New York, the sixth and most populous state, and the ban on gays serving openly in the military finally gone forever.

But the victories were coupled with some major disappointments and the reality that those who want to stop LGBT rights aren't giving up -- and that the fight for full equality will continue for some time to come.

Here are 12 of the biggest gay political news stories of the year. Vote for the ones that you thought were the most important and then sound off in the comment section below to let us know what other moments you'd add to the list.

For more on the best of 2011, visit AOL's Best of 2011.

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Comments

[blsini]

10:44 PM on 12/31/2011

A hope? Triumph? Let me tell you: the biggest triumph for me was that I was healed. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for healing me of the sin of homosexuality. I was gay. Only men were on my mind. Misery and despair followed. But I put my life into the hands of Jesus Christ of the Bible and he loved me so much that the sin could no longer stay. Today I am healthy heterosexual. You can read my story at ilivestraight website. That is the hope and the triumph.

[Matthew B Winkel]

12:10 AM on 01/04/2012

Oh ... you were being "serious" ...

[Contact1972]

02:25 AM on 01/04/2012

Today I am healthy heterosexu­al. You can read my story at ilivestrai­ght website.
*******************************************************************************
LOL-Marcus is that you?

[kjrd7]

08:40 PM on 12/27/2011

How stupid. They have the freedom to marry, just like I do.

[TXanimal]

10:32 AM on 12/28/2011

Yeah, that argument didn't work with Loving v. Virginia either.

[kjrd7]

11:08 AM on 12/28/2011

Not familiar with Loving v. Virginia. But I know that no one is prevented from getting married. LGBT people seem to want a special priveledge. They want to "marry" someone of the same sex. That aint marriage. Read the good book and see.

[Ioan Lightoller]

05:38 AM on 01/08/2012

Like how you use the word "they" [/sarcasm]. Way to dehumanise and marginalise people. They teach to to do that in church, too?

[Gary100]

03:17 PM on 12/27/2011

Dear Editors,

Thank you for the list by Michelangelo Signorile, on the Huffington Post.
These items are major historical landmarks, and Hillary Clinton's address to the United Nations in defense of LGBT rights, on the scale of a public statement, is without precedent in world history.

However, I think it's shameful that the case of Bradley Manning was not included. Bradley Manning, a whistle blower of heinous crimes and human rights violations, did his duty as a soldier by leaking a story and video footage of a crime - crimes of murder - to the press.

He should get some mention and be supported by all patriotic Gays and Lesbians.

http://www.bradleymanning.org/

Gary

[neighborhoodmole]

08:13 PM on 12/28/2011

First fan and faved! I predict that history will show Manning's alleged action as a key event that changed the world. Even for those who don't agree with what he did (and I'm actually still on the fence myself) there is no doubt that history was changed and many lives were saved by the US pullout in Iraq, which was accelerated by the Iraq government no longer giving immunity to our military and contractors' war crimes, which were exposed by Wikileaks. Hero or traitor? Maybe both, but an important figure either way.

[Atwill]

08:42 AM on 12/27/2011

DADT is gone. DOMA is next

[Contact1972]

02:26 PM on 12/27/2011

I so hope so buddy. I so hope so.

[Ioan Lightoller]

05:33 AM on 01/08/2012

Me, too!

[shards91]

12:04 AM on 12/27/2011

Bring back DADT and keep marriage right with one man and woman. We need to stop enabling homosexuality. Instead, we (including myself) need to be encouraged to seek help just like any other mental illness.

[Contact1972]

12:45 AM on 12/27/2011

Feel free to live in the 1800's if you wish but the rest of the world has evolved.

[Pharmboy987]

01:22 AM on 12/27/2011

Amen, and thank you....People act like this is the only "sin" in the Bible. Straight couples also "sin". I will take my judgement from God, not the likes of Shards91.

[jmoser1973]

07:48 AM on 12/27/2011

...this is a recording....

[tchuy03]

06:03 PM on 12/26/2011

In july 2011, I marched in the San Diego, CA GLBT Pride Parade currently active Duty in the Navy. Before the repeal took affect, we marched along side hundreds of active duty, retired & reserve military personnel.

[Contact1972]

10:30 PM on 12/26/2011

Thank you for your service! Marching must have been a thrill.

[gaydood]

08:15 AM on 12/27/2011

RIGHT ON !!!!

[LANETexasLonghorn]

03:55 PM on 12/26/2011

repeal of DADT is the top story

[Balancement]

03:05 PM on 12/26/2011

Credit where credit is due: Without pioneers like Frank Kameny, where would the LGBT movement for equality be? Even the usually clueless Main $tream Media has acknowledged his contribution to the fight for civil rights. Good job, Frank--thank you for all your efforts--we will miss you.

[Contact1972]

02:28 AM on 01/04/2012

I miss Frank. What an amazing man.

[bluntobject]

02:56 PM on 12/26/2011

First off, THANK YOU HP for finally changing the lead story on the Gay Voices Page. The last story had gotten way old. Gays and Lesbians, along with our many fair minded supporters should be very proud of the critical advances we have made under the reasoned, albeit it slow, approach our President has taken to address the inequality issues that still persist here in America for entire LGBT Community. The road post 2008 has been a bit rocky at times, but we are still on that road and making progress. I hope this next year is a time when the economy gets better for all, and we once again put our full support behind the only logical choice for President next Nov.. Obama/Clinton 2012!

[neighborhoodmole]

08:18 PM on 12/28/2011

HP server seems to cache old versions too long, even trying to refresh my browser page leaves old stories up. This mainly seems to occur on the Gay Voices page.

[Valerie Keefe]

02:21 PM on 12/26/2011

It's really irritating when LGBT and Gay are used interchangeably. It's like when someone says: Bipartisan, when they really mean: All Republicans and some right-wing Democrats.

[ejackson21st]

12:00 AM on 12/27/2011

I remember when the word gay had nothing to do with sexuality at all. When that word became associated with homosexuality it really irritated the heterosexuals and they accused the queers for taking over a word that they could not use anymore. Those irritated folk began putting their venom in the word 'gay' just as they did with the word 'phaggot' It was a long hard sometimes lethal struggle for homosexuals to say out loud that 'I'm Gay and I'm Proud". That struggle included both males and females who stared in the face of hatred and declared being Gay. The term LGBT came much later. However, after taking so many risks in coming out during those several generations prior to the LGBT label, the word Gay itself reflects a rich cultural, historical and emotional history for a huge segment of the international homosexual community. Words mean more than their dictionary definitions.

I fought many years to be recognized as a 'Black' person, not a Negro. Although somehow, generations later, the terminology changed towards 'African American'. That change is not of my making and doesn't reflect my life experience. Don't let it irritate you that my self definition is Black because that is what I fought for. No one has fought to be self defined as 'Bipartisan'. It's not a good comparison.

[Valerie Keefe]

12:57 AM on 12/27/2011

Well, I'm surely not comparing black and bipartisan, that would be specious and insensitive. I'm calling attention to the instances when LGBT is used to refer exclusively to cissexual gay and lesbian (and sometimes bi) people. I'm saying that oftentimes, the rhetorical inclusion rings hollow when they can't even get the taxonomy right.

[lapactart]

12:17 AM on 12/27/2011

I remember when the word gay had nothing to do with sexuality at all. When that word became associated with homosexuality it really irritated the heterosexuals for taking over a word that they could not use anymore. Those irritated folk began putting their venom in the word Gay just as they did with the word other derogatory slurs. It was a long hard sometimes lethal struggle for homosexuals to say out loud that 'I'm Gay and I'm Proud". That struggle included both males and females who stared in the face of hatred and declared being Gay. The term LGBT came much later. However, after taking so many risks in coming out during those several generations prior to the LGBT label, the word Gay itself reflects a rich cultural, historical and emotional history for a huge segment of the international homosexual community. Words mean more than their dictionary definitions.

I fought many years to be recognized as a Black person, not a Negro. Although somehow, generations later, the terminology changed towards African American. That change is not of my making and doesn't reflect my life experience. Don't let it irritate you that my self definition is Black because that is what I fought for. No one has fought to be self defined as Bipartisan. It's not a good comparison.

[lapactart]

09:22 PM on 12/27/2011

This is a copy of ejackson21st post which the mods would not allow until it had been edited to suit them. Sorry for the duplication.