2011: A great year for gay rights
The advancement of gay civil rights is the best thing that happened this year, I argue in the Scripps Howard column. The best event of 2011? The gains made for gay civil rights. Other good things happened -- most notably, the Iraq war came to a close for the United States, ending a disastrously dumb conflict that never should have happened. But the end of a huge negative isn't really a positive. So instead, it was in the arena of gay rights where two big events took place that could wonderfully alter the landscape for future generations. First was repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The law itself passed late last year as Congress was closing out its session, but the law was implemented this year. Despite the hysterical cries of opposition from anti-gay forces, the military seems to have weathered the transition pretty well. Second was the legalization, in New York State, of gay marriage. This was important for two reasons: New York is one of the most popula