“Brokeback Mountain,” starring Heath Ledger, standing, and Jake Gyllenhaal, is a tale of gay love that springs up between two cowboys in Montana — and the bleak longing for each other that suffuses the souls of both men for the remainder of their lives.

January

- Christine Quinn became the first woman and first out gay person to lead the New York City Council.

- "Brokeback Mountain," the cowboy love story, drew throngs of movie goers to theaters. The only theater in Childress, Texas, which was featured in the film, banned the movie, which eventually led the Golden Globes with four awards.

- Cartoonist Dan Piraro, creator of the comic "Bizarro," apologized for a cartoon poking fun at "Brokeback Mountain" that angered LGBT people.

- TXT Newsmagazine publisher Robert Moore announced the failure of the statewide publication and its closing.

- Cedar Springs Road merchants asked police for help in getting homeless people and loiterers off of the strip.

- The American Family Association arranged for more than 40 groups to sign a letter asking Ford Motor Co. to quit advertising to LGBT people and quit making donations to gay organizations.

- Perennial gay candiate Jack Borden and political newcomer Tom Malin announced they would compete for the District 108 seat in the Texas House.

- Five gay candidates were among the 113 candidates announcing they would be on the ballot in the Democratic Primary.

- Entertainer Kinky Friedman reached out to LGBT voters in the race for the governor's office.

- Paul E. Scott, executive director of the Resource Center of Dallas, announced he had accepted the position of executive director of Equality Texas.

- Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle appointed lesbian police officer Laura Martin as liaison to the LGBT community.

- Stonewall Democrats issued a record 66 endorsements in the Democratic Primary.

- Sanctuary of Love celebrated its sixth anniversary in a ceremony at the Oak Lawn church.

- A Baltimore judge struck down a 33-year-old state law against same-sex marriage, declaring it violated the Maryland Constitution's guarantee of equal rights.

- Conservatives ousted Liberals in Canada, ending 13 years of Liberal rule.

- Gay Councilman Ed Oakley kicked off a series of public meetings to unveil the city's strategic plan.

- The Dallas Chapter of PFLAG's leaders announced the group would become more involved in advocacy, in addition to education and support.


February

- Samuel A. Alito Jr. took his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, alarming gay rights activists who feared he would undertake an anti-gay agenda.

- Police arrested a 20-year-old suspect in the murder of a gay University of Texas at Austin student.

- President Bush angered gay activists with his fifth State of the Union speech by again speaking out against same-sex relationships.

- Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a gay civil rights bill into law.

- A survey showed 22 gay and lesbian people were serving on Dallas commissions and boards.

- The Dallas Tavern Guild announced it would allow Stonewall Democrats of Dallas to participate in the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade after the group's leaders promised members would behave better in the future.

- An 18-year-old teenager named Jacob Robida attacked patrons of a gay bar in New Bedford, Mass., with a hatchet and a handgun, injuring three people. He then headed south, eventually killing himself and a female companion in Arkansas.

- Gay Oklahoma County Comm-issioner Jim Roth and Dallas real estate broker Worth Ross weathered a political attack from a conservative Oklahoma politician.

- Appeals court ruled in favor of the Dallas Observer in a case filed by a Cathedral of Hope employee who was identified as HIV-positive in a story about Michael Piazza, dean of the Cathedral.

- The Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance hosted a crime panel featuring Constable Mike Dupree, LGBT police liaison Laura Martin and City Council members Angela Hunt and Pauline Medrano.

- The Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, entered an alcohol treatment center.

- The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association held its annual meeting in Dallas.

- The New York Supreme Court struck down an anti-discrimination law passed by the City Council that required any contractors doing business with the city to provide domestic partner benefits.

- Tom Malin, Democratic Party candidate for the Texas House, acknowledged he had worked as a male escort in the past, but that he planned to continue his campaign. Stonewall Democrats of Dallas rescinded its earlier endorsement of Malin, but did not endorse his gay primary opponent, Jack Borden.

- Gay Dallas County Constable Mike Dupree claimed his political opponent had circulated a false police report about him to voters.

- Friends of Reverchon Park kicked off a campaign to upgrade the 46-acre Oak Lawn park.

- Cathedral of Hope leaders met with leaders of the North Texas Association of the United Church of Christ to discuss affiliation with the denomination.

- Dallas' LGBT community celebrated its first official Mardi Gras party with a benefit for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.


March

- The Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau announced it had launched a LGBT travel Web site to attract more gay leisure and business travel to the city.

- A search of public records revealed a theft conviction for Democratic Party Texas House candidate Tom Malin. The same search revealed his opponent Jack Borden had been evicted several times.

- Four gay candidates won the Democratic Party Primary. They were Texas House candidate Jack Borden, Constable Mike Dupree, County Judge candidate Jim Foster and County Treasurere candidate Gary Fitzsimmons. Gay Texas House candidate Andy Smith lost.

- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools barring military recruiters over the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy risked losing federal funding.

- Claude Allen, a former domestic policy adviser to President Bush, was charged with felony theft for allegedly trying to run a "refund fraud" scam at stores in Montgomery County, Md.

- It was revealed the Bush administration had quietly rewrote the rules for allowing gays and lesbians to receive national-security clearances, angering gay activists.

- The Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Dallas moved its services to a new location.

- Youth First Texas leaders announced plans to enlarge its facility and to expand services.

- A group of Dallas activists attending the Human Rights Campaign's annual board meeting came home with several awards for outstanding commitments and achievements.

- The Resource Center of Dallas announced it would host North Texas' first LGBT job exposition at the John Thomas Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

- LGBT leaders announced Dallas would host a press tour for the gay media for the second year in a row.

- Two gay men were found murdered over a two-day period, raising the number of unsolved murders of gay men in the DFW area to six.

- Scientists reported that two drugs already on pharmacy shelves show promise of being developed into a vaccine for HIV.

- Willie Nelson's song and video, "Cowboys are Frequently Secretly (Fond of Each Other)" premiered at the Round-Up Saloon, which was featured in the video.

- Black Tie Dinner officials named 18 beneficiaries, dropping longtime recipients the Turtle Creek Chorale and Leadership Lambda.

- Local nightclub operators expressed concerns about Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission undercover agents stepping up surveillance.

- The Resource Center of Dallas launched an education advocacy program for the transgender community.

- A rainbow sticker on the office door of a gay SMU professor was defaced.

Longtime gay rights opponent U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay resigned from Congress after being indicted on charges that he violated campaign finance laws.

April

- Congressman Tom DeLay, one of the staunchest opponents of gay rights in Congress, announced he would resign from the seat he had held since 1984 after being indicted on charges campaign finance fraud.

- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a 1913 state law that bars nonresidents from marrying in the state if their marriage would not be recognized at home.

- LGBT leaders urged gay residents to participate in marches protesting strict immigration reform measures under debate in Congress, but the events drew sparse gay support.

- Wichita Falls MCC purchased a new building near downtown Dallas.

- Gay journalists touring the city were greeted by Mayor Laura Miller and Sheriff Lupe Valdez.

- The LGBT cable network LOGO declined to accept a pro-gay advertisement, but Here! and Q Television agreed to run the controversial "ejector ad" for free.

- The congregation of Dallas' First United Lutheran Church voted unanimously to become a reconciling congregation.

- SMU students staged a silent protest against a student column published in The Daily Campus that was perceived as anti-gay.

- Paul Cameron, an anti-gay researcher, succeeded in getting one of his questionable studies published in the Journal of Biosocial Science.

- Janie Bush, creator and manager of the Lone Star AIDS Ride, retired from her five-year role as the face of the fundraiser, saying she was spent.

- A federal judge in Boston dismissed a challenge to the ban on out gays and lesbians in the military.


May

- Log Cabin Republican leaders announced the group had its largest national convention ever with leaders of the nation's largest LGBT groups present.
- The election of a new bishop of California included a gay candidate, but he was not elected.

- Twenty people representing PFLAG, the Turtle Creek Chorale and five local inclusive churches protested in front of the First Baptist Church of Dallas because of a church-sponsored workshop on homosexuality.

- A report showed the crystal meth epidemic was tightening its grip on the gay community and spreading to other minority groups.

- Kathy Jack, a longtime lesbian nightclub manager, announced she was retiring from the industry.

- The Stemmons Corridor Business Association joined a group of neighbors opposing the planned relocation of the Dallas Eagle to a new building site. But the nightclub's plans were approved by the City Plan Commission.

- A Fulton County Superior Court Judge ruled that Georgia's 2004 amendment limiting marriage and marriage rights to heterosexuals was unconstitutional.

- A U.S. Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

- Two gay candidates lost elections in local elections. They were Chris Luna, a candidate for Dallas County Community College District trustee, and Linus Spiller, a candidate for the Dallas Independent School District.

- A federal judge struck down a 2004 Oklahoma law prohibiting recognition of adoptions made in other states and countries by gay and lesbian couples.

- Patrick Guerriero, president of Log Cabin Republicans, announced he was resigning to head up the Gill Action Fund.

- The two-member team of Michael Bailey, community relations manager, and Mavis May, logistics manager, were named to head up the Lone Star AIDS Ride.


June

- Gay rights demonstrators were beaten in Moscow to prevent them from holding a rally, and the city's mayor blamed the victims.

- Tarrant County Gay Pride Week Association staged two weeks of gay Pride events.

- President Bush reaffirmed his support of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

- Exxon Mobil shareholders voted for the seventh year in a row to reject a resolution adding sexual orientation to the company's written equal opportunity policy.

- The Federal Marriage Amendment to ban gay marriage died in the U.S. Senate after supporters failed to force a vote on it.

- Dallas Area Rapid Transit officials announced they were considering a proposal to add domestic partner benefits to the employee benefits package.

- The Dallas Tavern Guild elected Gary Miller, co-owner of the Round-Up Saloon, as president.

- White Rock Community Church celebrated its 15th anniversary.

- Three Dallas residents attended the 2006 National Stonewall Democrats Convention in Pittsburgh.

- Dallas-Fort Worth Black Tie Dinner officials announced that Alan Cumming would be the recipient of the 2006 Elizabeth Birch Equality Award, and that Academy Award-winning actor and women's champion Geena Davis would be the keynote speaker.

- Harvest MCC of Denton installed the Rev. Mati Luna-Wolfe as its pastor.

- Voice of Pride 2006 kicked off its preliminary competition with contests in 15 of Dallas' LGBT nightclubs.

- U.S. Census data showed that 34 percent of lesbian couples and 22 percent of gay male couples were raising children.

- Jesse Garcia was appointed by the Dallas City Council to serve on the Permit and License Appeal Board.

- The Dallas Police Department launched an investigation of Pride Travel, a defunct Dallas company that had marketed to the LGBT community after receiving complaints that company officials accepted payments but failed to deliver services.

- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans to headline a fundraiser for gay Republicans in Hollywood.

- The Episcopal Church elected its first woman leader and rejected a ban on confirming gay bishops.

- The 103-year-old Grace United Methodist Church of Dallas joined Reconciling Ministries Network.

- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reinstated an HIV discrimination lawsuit against the Foreign Service.

- Tim Seelig, renowned artistic director of the Turtle Creek Chorale, announced he would step down at the end of the 2007 season.

- Mike McKay was hired as the Resource Center of Dallas' new executive director.


July

- Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance elected Pete Webb as its first black president.

- The New York Court of Appeals ruled that state law does not require recognition of same-sex marriage and that the Legislature must decide whether or not to legalize it.

- Arkansas' Supreme Court threw out a gay and lesbian foster parent ban.

- Roger Herrera announced his candidacy for Dallas mayor's seat, following Mayor Laura Miller's announcement that she would not run for re-election.

- Vandals flooded AIDS Arms' Peabody Health Center. Police suspected that suspects were looking for copper tubing for drug paraphernalia.

- U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, of Texas, introduced a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, in addition to the pending House Joint Resolution 88, which failed to pass the Senate.

- Orthodox Jews, Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem united against World Pride 2006, demanding its cancellation. The parade was postponed when local police admitted that they could not protect the demonstrators.

- The House of Representatives voted down House Joint Resolution 88, an anti-gay-marriage amendment that had failed to pass Congress six weeks ago.

- The Nebraska Court of Appeals upheld a voter-approved constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The Tennessee Supreme Court threw out an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit contending that the state failed to meet its own notification requirements for a gay marriage ban on the ballot.

- The Dallas Diocese of the Episcopal Church became the seventh in the denomination to seek leadership overseas due to the ongoing rift over LGBT rights.

- Missouri lifted its restrictions on lesbian and gay foster parents following a court-ordered mandate.

- The Washington Supreme Court upheld a 1998 gay marriage ban, stating that lawmakers have the power to restrict marriage to a man and a woman.

- The Dallas Morning News' 2005 Coming Out Day special advertising section won Newspaper Special Sections Network and Inland Press Association first-place awards.

- Massachusetts remains sole safe haven for gay marriage after New York and Washington uphold same-sex marriage bans.


August

- The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that Vermont family laws should control the child custody case between a divorcing Virginian lesbian couple, instead of Virginia law.

- Increased police presence in the Oak Lawn entertainment district appeared to discourage loitering in the area.

- The Indiana Supreme Court ruled to allow unmarried and same-sex couples to adopt.

- Episcopalians in Dallas considered splitting from the denomination to protest the incoming national leader, Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, over her support of same-sex relationships.

- The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce formed a partnership with retail giant Wal-Mart as part of its diversity efforts.

- Only one-quarter of the people who need AIDS drugs have access to the lifesaving medicines, reported a group of scientists at a global World Health Organization AIDS summit.


September

- Jay Oppenheimer was named the 2006 Raymond Kuchling Award winner. The 25th anniversary winner served on the original five-person committee that planned the first Black Tie Dinner in 1981.

- Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez appointed Jesse Flores, executive chief deputy, as the liaison officer for the LGBT community. The Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance complained to The Dallas Morning News and Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price when Price speculated that the LGBT liaison officer might be PR pandering on the part of the sheriff.

- South Africa sent a bill legalizing domestic partnerships, both same- and opposite-sex, to parliament.

- AIDS Arms' Peabody Health Center reopened after seven weeks of repairs following a flood caused by vandals.

- The Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade brought folks together in the streets of Oak Lawn, despite rain. Leo Cusimano, president of the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce, and Veletta Forsythe-Lill, former Dallas City Councilwoman, were grand marshals.

- Former Governor Ann Richards, a longtime ally of the LGBT community, passed away from her ongoing struggle with esophageal cancer.

- DVtv, the Dallas Voice's LGBT video stream, premiered its broadcast on DallasVoice.com with anchors Jenni Beauchamp and Gus Klein.

- The book "The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan for Absolute Power" outs Rove's stepfather.

- An Alaska Superior Court judge ruled that guidelines for same-sex partner benefits for state employees are too strict.

- Lawmakers wrangled over the Ryan White CARE Act reauthorization, as Northern legislators protested the redistribution of funds to Southern areas with high rates of HIV infection.

- Longtime Dallas Voice editor Dennis Vercher passed away after a lengthy battle with AIDS.

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley

October

- The "Legacy of Love" monument at the intersection of Oak Lawn Avenue and Cedar Springs Road unveiled as part of the Oak Lawn Triangle beautification project.

- As reports of former U.S. Representative Mark Foley's inappropriate contact with congressional pages developed, political ideologues used the scandal to wedge voters on same-sex issues. The Log Cabin Republicans called conservatives' reaction to the Foley scandal shameful, citing a lack of accountability and politically motivated spin. The House Ethics Committee began questioning staff to determine who knew what about Foley's conduct and when.

- The Human Rights Campaign's Coming Out Project DFW's annual "Be Who You Are" special section was released, with Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell gracing the cover.

- The Ryan White CARE Act stalled as Democrats from New York and California blocked the measure in the Senate.

- The California First District Court of Appeals ruled against same-sex couples in several coordinated lawsuits, stating that access to same-sex marriage is not a fundamental right.

- The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the state must give same-sex couples the same rights as straight married couples, but left it up to the Legislature to decide whether same-sex marriage or civil unions would meet that goal.

- The Dallas diocese of the Episcopal Church chose not to split with the denomination for now at an annual convention, but left plans in place that could lead to a split next year.


November

- The Cathedral of Hope was accepted into the United Church of Christ denomination with overwhelming support, making it the fourth-largest UCC congregation in the country.

- A November special session of the Alaska Legislature was scheduled by the governor to consider options on a partner benefits policy for state employees.

- The Human Rights Campaign fired the employee who first posted copies of Mark Foley's e-mails to congressional pages on the Internet, citing misuse of HRC resources as the reason for the firing. Criminal investigations have been opened to determine whether the former representative broke federal laws by sending sexually-explicit messages to teenage pages on Capitol Hill.

- A Democratic sweep of local mid-term elections put five openly gay people in county-wide offices and several Democrats into the local judiciary branch. Dallas joined the ranks of progressive cities such as Los Angeles and New York City, based on how many openly-gay officials serve at the city and county levels as gay candidate Gary Fitzsimmons was elected district clerk and gay candidate Jim Foster was elected county judge. The Texas House may be friendlier towards LGBT issues with five more seats going to the Democrats, according to officials.

- The Black Tie Dinner lived up to its legend during the 25th anniversary event. Actor/activist Geena Davis was the keynote speaker and bisexual actor/activist Alan Cumming was the Elizabeth Birth Award winner.

- The Rev. Ted Haggard, the anti-gay preacher who led New Life Church in Colorado and was said to have the ear of President Bush, was outed by a prostitute he reportedly used drugs and had sex with.

- The Israeli attorney general rejected a ban proposed by ultra-Orthodox Jews on the 2006 World Pride parade in Jerusalem. A rally, originally planned as a march, was held on Nov. 10 in a sports stadium after organizers bowed to police concerns over safety.

- The Mexico City assembly voted to recognize civil unions.

- Openly-gay Dallas City Coucilman Ed Oakley informally announced his candidacy for the 2007 mayoral race.

- New Jersey legislators considered two gay marriage options in November. One bill proposed legal civil unions for same-sex couples, while the other proposed to impeach the seven Supreme Court justices who ruled to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples.

- South African legislators passed a law to recognize gay marriages.

Actor/activist Geena Davis was keynote speaker at the 2006 Black Tie Dinner, the 25th anniversary of the fundraising event.

December

- Mayoral candidate Roger Herrera launched the first salvo in what looks to be a heated battle between the two gay candidates for Dallas mayor by accusing Councilman and mayoral candidate Ed Oakley of ignoring the city's responsibility in the battle against AIDS. Later in the month, after Oakley had formally announced his candidacy, an Oakley supporter fired back, turning over to the media copies of arrest reports from a 2002 incident in which Herrera was jailed after getting drunk and indiscriminately firing a gun to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.

- A Virginia appeals court ruled that Vermont courts have jurisdiction over a child custody case involving a Virginian lesbian couple, overturning an earlier decision by a lower court.

- The first gay couple wed in South Africa on Dec. 1, a day after the legislation legalizing same-sex marriage was announced.

- Mary Cheney announced her pregnancy. She and her partner, Heather Poe, are expecting the child in late spring.

- Northeast lawmakers dropped their objections to the renewal of the Ryan White CARE Act. President Bush signed the new legislation into law early in December.

- The House Ethics Committee ruled that despite the fact that Republican lawmakers knew about former Rep. Foley's illicit correspondence with underage pages, no rules had been broken.

- New Jersey legislators acted to grant same-sex couples access to civil unions, stopping just short of granting marriage rights to all citizens of New Jersey. Gov. Jon Corzine signed the legislation into law.

- Paul Barnes, a pastor at the Grace Chapel in Colorado, resigned over gay sex allegations, making him the second pastor outed in Colorado.

- Black Tie Dinner smashed record fundraising marks when it announced that the 2006 event raised $1.35 million.

- Alaska's highest court ordered the state to initiate same-sex partner benefits for state employees.

- The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that it had no authority to force the state Legislature to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, even though petitions had been turned in calling for a referendum on the issue.
The proposed amendment would have to be approved in two consecutive sessions of the Legislature before it could be placed on the ballot.





This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, December 29, 2006.