(/authors/144-andrea-garcia-vargas)

By Andrea Garcia-Vargas (/authors/144-andrea-garcia-vargas)

@andreagarvar (https://twitter.com/andreagarvar) 3 hours ago

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LGBT RIGHTS IN THE U.S. IN 2013: THE FIVE BEST

AND FIVE WORST MOMENTS

Mario Tama/Getty Images News/Getty Images

It’s been a landmark year for America’s LGBT community. Perhaps most

monumentally, DOMA was struck down

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/967-doma-ruled-unconstitutional-by-

scotus) in June, with many federal agencies following up the decision by

recognizing gay marriage (http://www.bustle.com/articles/8812-hawaii-

approves-gay-marriage-15th-state-to-legalize) and implementing benefits

(/articles/11027-lgbt-rights-in-the-us-in-2013-the-five-best-and-five-worst-moments/image/11027)

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/3610-same-sex-couples-to-get-military-

benefits). But the news hasn’t been all good: Remember Fox News’ reaction to

Chelsea Manning

(http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/08/27/fox_news_chelsea_m

anning_fox_and_friends_plays_aerosmith_song_to_mock_chelsea.html)? Liz

and Mary Cheney (http://www.bustle.com/articles/9078-cheney-facebook-

feud-over-gay-marriage-means-it-will-be-one-awkward-thanksgiving)’s

public fight over Mary’s marriage to a woman? We’ve rounded up the year’s

five worst and five best moments for the LGBT community, so read on for the

stories we want to revisit, the landmarks we’ll always remember, and the

intolerant moments that will hopefully soon be a bad memory.

First, the five best moments…

1. THE PROP 8 AND DOMA RULINGS

On June 26, Prop 8 was busted and DOMA was struck down by the Supreme

Court.

Thanks to this DOMA ruling, same-sex couples soon became eligible for

federal benefits. As Bustle reported, striking down DOMA also had major

implications for immigration (http://www.bustle.com/articles/1008-what-

does-doma-mean-for-immigration-overhaul-more-than-youd-think):

The immediate benefit that same-sex couples are going to get depends on

where they were married, and if their state recognizes those marriages. Let’s

say I get married in New York, I solemnize the marriage in New York

(meaning I have the ceremony here), and we live here. For federal purposes, I

am now going to be able to petition for my green card, or if I am in deportation

proceedings, I am going to have that form of relief discussed earlier.

2. A HEARTWARMING RESPONSE TO CHELSEAMANNING

When Chelsea Manning (http://www.bustle.com/articles/4005-wikileaker-

manning-announces-she-wants-to-live-as-a-woman) revealed she identified

as a woman and no longer wanted to be known as “Bradley,” many

people responded in an uplifting, accepting fashion. Wikipedia immediately

updated her biography appropriately, and many supporters and media outlets

instantly switched out “Bradley” for “Chelsea” in their news stories. (Of

course, many people didn’t get it at all, which we’ll get to later.)

And the support continues: Since Manning’s announcement, many people

have protested the fact that Chelsea is unlikely to get hormone therapy in

prison (http://www.bustle.com/articles/4034-why-the-army-wont-give-

chelsea-manning-hormone-therapy).

3. FRANK OCEAN, TOM DALEY, AND OTHERCELEBRITIES COME OUT

This year, many famous figures chose to come out without labeling

themselves as one sexual orientation or another. Despite many news reports,

Olympic diver Tom Daley (http://www.bustle.com/articles/9906-tom-daley-

didnt-come-out-as-gay-but-the-media-doesnt-care) didn’t pigeonhole his

sexuality when he simply announced he had a boyfriend. Frank Ocean

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/frank-ocean-comes-out) basically did

the same thing. Jodie Foster came out

(http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/15/jodie-foster-

coming-out-speech), and so did Raven Symoné. And Olympic figure

skater Brian Boitano (http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/02/showbiz/raven-

symone-comes-out/) came out just this month, ahead of the Sochi Olympics.

4. THE CONVERSATION ABOUT GENDER-NEUTRALITY HAS EXPLODED

This year, Philadelphia began requiring by law that buildings have gender-

neutral bathrooms (http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/LGBT-

Gender-Neutral-Restrooms-206932591.html). Meanwhile, California

governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that would allow transgender or gender-

fluid individuals (http://www.bustle.com/articles/3506-california-governor-

jerry-brown-signs-transgender-student-rights-bill-into-law) K-12 to adopt the

gender pronoun of their preference, and to use the bathroom or locker

room they felt most comfortable with.

5. MARRIAGE, MARRIAGE EVERYWHERE

Suddenly, left and right, states have begun legalizing gay marriage. Hawaii

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/8812-hawaii-approves-gay-marriage-15th-

state-to-legalize), Illinois, (http://www.bustle.com/articles/9799-illinois-

first-gay-marriage-happens-ahead-of-schedule-per-judges-orders) Minnesota

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/2906-weddings-abound-in-minneapolis-as-

gay-marriage-legalized), New Jersey (http://www.bustle.com/articles/6679-

gay-marriage-legal-in-new-jersey-judge-rules-not-to-delay-same-sex-

unions) all jumped on the bandwagon, and, just last week, Utah

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/11253-same-sex-marriage-ruling-returns-

to-utah-court) and New Mexico (http://www.bustle.com/articles/11094-

new-mexico-supreme-court-same-sex-marriage-is-constitutional-16th-state-

to-allow-gay-marriage) overturned constitutional bans on same-sex marriage.

The momentum is undeniable.

RETWEET to Congratulate the State of NEW MEXICO for legalizing Marriage Equality. #loveislove #UniteBlue

8:47 AM - 20 Dec 2013

Unite BLUE 2014

@UniteBlue2014Follow

43 RETWEETS 9 FAVORITES

Now, brace yourself for the five worst moments:

1. A VERY PUBLIC, AWKWARD FIGHT BETWEEN THECHENEY SISTERS

Liz Cheney’s decision to speak on Fox News

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/9078-cheney-facebook-feud-over-gay-

marriage-means-it-will-be-one-awkward-thanksgiving) about her disapproval

of Mary Cheney’s marriage to a woman was heartbreaking — especially when

you consider that Liz had previously expressed happiness for her sister when

Mary Cheney had married her wife Heather Poe

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/10076-the-most-embarrassing-political-

relatives-obamas-uncle-and-more). And especially when you consider just

how poorly timed the interview was; taking place right before the holidays in

November. We don’t want to think about how tense that Thanksgiving meal

must’ve been. Or how awkward that upcoming Christmas meal will be.

2. FOX NEWS’ RESPONSE TO CHELSEA MANNING

Yes, many who supported Manning before she came out as trans continued to

support her following her announcement. And, yes, much of the press has

honored her wish to be called “she” and “Chelsea.”

But many media outlets (http://) didn’t honor that wish. Some of them treated

her coming out as a whimsical decision.

Fox News then made things worse by playing Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a

Lady” (http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/fox-news-played-dude-

looks-like-a-lady-during-their-bradley) and getting on everybody’s nerves.

Again.

3. ENDA GETS KILLED (THANKS, JOHN BOEHNER)

While marriage equality is, of course, a huge step for LGBT rights, it’s not the

only one, nor the most important. But the marriage-equality victories get far

more coverage than, say, John Boehner refusing to put up ENDA for a vote in

the House (http://www.bustle.com/articles/10207-republicans-and-gay-

rights-5-ways-the-gop-could-do-better), even after the Senate passed the bill.

ENDA would have protected LGBT individuals from workplace discrimination

(http://www.bustle.com/articles/8225-will-enda-the-employment-non-

discrimination-act-finally-pass).

So LGBT citizens can get married in 17 states, but we still don’t have a federal

law preventing LGBT work discrimination — and as important as marriage

equality is, having a discrimination-free work environment is one of the most

basic rights a person can have.

4. CATHY BRENNAN LIES ABOUT TRANS TEENAGERHARASSING OTHER GIRLS

Bustle has already had its fair share of words about the incredibly frustrating

Cathy Brennan (http://www.bustle.com/articles/7419-my-response-to-

cathy-brennan). Who is she? As Bustle’s own Amy McCarthy writes:

Brennan is part of a small collective of radical feminists who consider

themselves to be “trans-exclusive.” As such, trans-exclusive radical feminists

(often called TERFs online) do not recognize gender dysphoria as a legitimate

condition that is treated by hormone therapy or gender confirmation surgery

(http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gender-dysphoria/Pages/Treatment.aspx),

even though most scientists disagree.

Oh, this woman.

Besides the fact that Cathy Brennan’s own existence was bad for trans rights

this year, Brennan also posted a letter to her blog by a conservative group,

Pacific Justice Institute (http://thinkprogress.org/wp-

content/uploads/2013/10/Pacific-Justice-Institute-Anti-Trans-Letter.pdf),

claiming that a trans student in Colorado was harassing girls in the locker

room. Even worse than that? The letter by Pacific Justice Institute had the

student’s name on it.

Guess what? Turns out Pacific Justice Institute’s claim was a hoax. No

Guess what? Turns out Pacific Justice Institute’s claim was a hoax. No

harassment had taken place. Cathy just let her disdain of transgender

individuals (http://www.bustle.com/articles/7277-cathy-brennan-speaks-to-

bustle-about-her-stance-on-transgender-people) (particularly transwomen)

play to her confirmation bias, and used her widely read blog to spread false

claims.

5. EVERYTHING ALEC BALDWIN SAID

Alec Baldwin dropped homophobic and transphobic slurs

(http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/yeah-alec-

baldwin-really-is-a-bigot/281911/) left and right: The former 30 Rock actor

called a photographer a ”toxic little queen,” “cocksucking fag,” and “fucking

little bitch.” Sure, he did it out of anger, but he still said

(http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/yeah-alec-

baldwin-really-is-a-bigot/281911/) it, and he lost his MSNBC show because of

it (http://www.bustle.com/articles/9697-msnbc-fired-alec-baldwin-so-we-

found-5-ladies-who-should-replace-him). What else is there to say?

Images: glaad/Tumblr (http://glaad.tumblr.com/post/53934446067/edith-

Images: glaad/Tumblr (http://glaad.tumblr.com/post/53934446067/edith-

windsor-doma-plaintiff-and-american-hero), pardon.privatemanning.org

(http://pardon.privatemanning.org/post/65837174289), pvtso/Tumblr

(http://pvtso.tumblr.com/image/26511203066),

thatcanadiannewyorker/Tumblr (http://that-canadian-new-

yorker.tumblr.com/post/46345982461/for-all-my-genderqueer-friends-and-

anyone-else-out), usatodayopinion/Tumblr

(http://usatodayopinion.tumblr.com/post/67574817649/this-public-

political-family-feud-sets-a), vicemag/Tumblr

(http://vicemag.tumblr.com/post/59125144466/hey-conservatives-theres-

nothing-delusional), Roosters Tails Comic

(http://www.roostertailscomic.com/?comic=the-pretty-

one), criticaltheory/Tumblr (http://critical-

theory.tumblr.com/post/55278239091/i-was-going-to-hold-off-on-this-

because-who), Jankman/Tumblr

(http://thejankman.tumblr.com/post/68831593891)

SHAR…

TWEE…

PIN IT…

Follow Andrea on Twitter (https://twitter.com/andreagarvar)

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