An adieu to the oughts

As the debate continues over whether to call the first decade of the 21st century the oughts, it is almost absurdly appropriate to reflect upon the last 10 years that have brought monumental change, heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.

I was a senior at Memorial High School in Manchester, New Hampshire, at the turn of the century. Ten years and more than 50 pounds lighter, I am now a resident of Brooklyn and a journalist whose work has appeared in publications around the world. Below is a look back at the events that have helped shaped the 'Oughts for this boy in Bushwick.

- June 7, 2000: Graduated from Memorial High School in Manchester, New Hampshire
- May 27, 2001: Came out
- Sept. 11, 2001
- Aug. 16, 2002: Turned 21
- Jan. 10, 2003-May 21, 2003: Studied in Granada, Spain
- May 22, 2004: Graduated from the University of New Hampshire
- July 1, 2004: Moved to New York City
- May 2, 2006: Dad suffered heart attack
- Nov. 23, 2006: Traveled to Morocco
- Feb. 5, 2007: Fired from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
- June 10, 2007: Sister married high school sweetheart
- Jan. 15, 2009: Appeared on the BBC for the first time



June 7, 2000



Dec. 30, 2009

2009: a look back

As I think of how to reflect upon the year that has almost come to a close, there is an arguable sense of irony and even unbridled cynicism in the “optimistic tone” under which I wished “everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009” in my Dec. 30, 2008, posting. This year certainly proved to be an exciting, yet tumultuous one for this boy in Bushwick. And while I am certainly no worse for wear, here is a look back at 2009.


Barack Obama

President Barack Obama became the country’s 44th president on Jan. 20. His inauguration took place amid the worst economic crisis the United States has seen since the Great Depression, but he came into office under (arguably unrealistic) expectations he would immediately resolve the country’s many problems.

Nearly a year later, the administration has increased the number of troops on the ground in Afghanistan, enacted an economic stimulus package that has arguably stabilized the American economy and has nearly achieved some form of long overdue health care reform. Obama has also made some overtures to LGBT Americans—the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to federal hate crime statutes and the end of the ban that had prevented people with HIV/AIDS from entering the country. Many, however, continue to argue the administration can continue to do more.

I covered Obama’s inauguration for EDGE and WNYC at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan. It was a bitterly cold January day, but those who gathered on West 13th Street could barely contain their hope and optimism (and distain for former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney.) Obama’s inauguration certainly does not erase the historical injustices underrepresented groups had (and continue to) suffer, but it remains a monumental turning point in American history.



New Yorkers watch President Barack Obama's inauguration from the LGBT Community Center on Jan. 20.


Economy and LGBT Journalism

Even though the economy continues to show some signs of recovery, 2009 proved extremely difficult for journalism.

Genre, HX and the New York Blade are among the local LGBT publications that folded earlier this year. And Window Media’s insolvency last month sent shock waves through an already vulnerable industry. A lesbian reporter noted this month there were only a handful of us—reporters who work for LGBT-specific publications—who covered the ceremony at which Gov. David Paterson signed an executive order to ban discrimination against transgender New York State public employees. A very sobering thought indeed!



On assignment in Union Square earlier this month. [Photo courtesy of Joe Jervis]


Hate Crimes

Some of the most difficult stories to cover are those that involve victims of anti-LGBT hate violence. And Jack Price, José Sucuzhañay and Jorge Steven López Mercado are among those who dominated a significant portion of my 2009 reportage.

Daniel Aleman and Daniel Rodriguez, Jr., allegedly used anti-gay slurs as they nearly beat Price to death outside a College Point deli in early October. Police took Hakim Scott and Keith Phoenix into custody in late February in connection Sucuzhañay’s murder near a Bushwick street corner in Dec. 2008. And Juan A. Martínez Matos confessed he stabbed López to death on Nov. 13 before he dumped the gay teenager’s decapitated, dismembered and partially burned body along a remote Puerto Rican roadside.

These brutal attacks and others sparked outrage among LGBT activists and their supporters around the country (and world.) They also ignited sometimes passionate debate among those who wanted to claim these victims as their own. The fact remains, however, anti-LGBT hate crimes remain a serious problem that legislation alone will not solve. And I truly look forward to the day when I will not have to continuously report on these atrocities.



Hundreds gathered on the Christopher Street Pier on Nov. 22 to pay tribute to Jorge Steven López Mercado.


Marriage

The push for marriage for same-sex couples continued in earnest in 2009, and activists’ efforts produced mixed results.

The California Supreme Court in May upheld Proposition 8 that overturned the state’s law that had allowed gays and lesbians to marry. Maine voters in November approved a referendum that struck down the Pine Tree State’s law that had allowed nuptials for same-sex couples. And the New York State Senate struck down a measure earlier this month that would have allowed gays and lesbians to marry.

Conversely, gays and lesbians began to legally marry in Iowa in April and in Vermont in September. The District of Columbia extended marriage to same-sex couples earlier this month. And New Hampshire will allow gays and lesbians to tie the knot on Jan. 1.

An argument can certainly be made the country is simply not ready to accept marriage for gays and lesbians. This hypothesis does not denigrate the efforts of activists who continue to push the issue at the state and even federal level, but it is merely a stark realization based upon the series of defeats listed above. That said; my friend Paul and I will be among those who will attend New Hampshire Rep. Bob Thompson and Michael Jacobsen’s wedding in my hometown on Saturday. I honestly never thought I would see the day a gay couple could legally tie the knot in Manchester—a city from which I moved away more than five years ago. Progress indeed appears in the seemingly least likely of places.



The California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8 in a May 26 ruling.


Final Thoughts

For the personal and professional excitement and tumult 2009 brought, there were several hopeful and even inspirational moments of note. The so-called Miracle on the Hudson in January, my emergence as a talking head, Ascension Party, which was coincidentally my 28th birthday, in the Fire Island Pines and my new 34 inch waist line are among the happier moments from 2009.

Hope truly springs eternal, and I remain optimistic about the prospects of a new year and a new decade.

2008: A look back

What a year it was! With less than 48 hours until 2009, the annual tradition of looking back upon the year that was is in full swing. The economy, President-elect Barack Obama's historic election and continued violence in the Middle East, Pakistan and other countries around the world are three of the myriad of stories that dominated headlines in 2008. Below is a look back.


Barack Obama

President-elect Barack Obama's historic election on Nov. 4 represents a monumental shift in American politics. More than 50 percent of Americans voted for the former community organizer under the increasingly dyer economic situation, an extremely unpopular incumbent president and growing disillusionment. Obama's election presents a stark rejection of Bush Republicanism and a growing call for change among those who have grown increasingly tired of the status quo. Obama takes office in less than a month. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to keep the promises he made on the campaign trail. It remains clear, however, Obama has the wind at his back as he prepares to enter the White House in 2008.


Economic Crisis

The only 2008 story that could possibly overshadow Obama's meteoric rise to the White House is the expanding economic crisis. The other shoe dropped with Lehman Brother's collapse in September. Detroit and Wall Street have fallen to their knees (with some embarrassing and frankly infuriating revelations along the way) as they seek bailouts from skeptical Washington lawmakers. President Bush appeared to abandon his free-market principles as the writing on the wall became increasingly clear. Unemployment has increased and consumer confidence continues to plummet.

New York remains one of the crisis' epicenters. Officials have estimated up to 200,000 people will lose their jobs. Both the city and state are facing severe budget shortfalls because of Wall Street's implosion--all in all there is a sense a dark cloud with precious few silver linings will continue to hover over Gotham in the new year.


Proposition 8

November 4 was an arguable watershed moment in American history, but this day ended bittersweet for LGBT activists with Proposition 8's passage in California. The amendment, which passed with 52 percent of the vote, came less than six months after marriage for same-sex couples became legal in the Golden State.

Outraged LGBT activists, citizens and their supporters immediately began to speculate as to why Prop 8 passed. They pointed fingers to the black voters, the Mormon Church and eventually those who organized a largely ineffective and arguably incompetent campaign. And this anger manifested itself into widespread protests across the country in what some have dubbed Stonewall 2.0.

The immediate anti-Prop 8 fervor has appeared to dissipate somewhat, but it remains clear marriage for same-sex couples will continue to garner headlines in 2009. New Jersey and New York are among the states in which lawmakers are expected to debate the issue. The California Supreme Court is also slated to rule on lawsuits challenging Prop 8 in the coming year.


Sarah Palin

Politics is often about personalities, and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin generated more reaction than anyone else possibly outside of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. This apparent political neophyte, with her Tina Fey-esque looks and apparently picture perfect family, seemingly appeared out of nowhere to become Sen. John McCain's vice presidential nominee. The late night jokes about her pregnant daughter Bristol, her frame less glasses, her Alaskan accent and other aspects of her life came almost as fast as one can mutter 'You betcha.'

In all seriousness, Palin's veep nomination represented an extremely cynical attempt to energize the Republican Party's socially conservative base that remained lukewarm at best to McCain's campaign. It worked to an extent, but Palin unfortunately became a political laughing stock among moderate voters, pundits and even some Republicans.


Final Thoughts

Heath Ledger's tragic death in January, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's spectacular downfall in March, controversy over National Parks Service rangers issuing citations in Fire Island's infamous Meatrack in June and José Sucuzhañay's senseless death in Bushwick earlier this month are among the myriad of stories I covered in 2008. Some of the more memorable moments of the year include Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese's decision to include me in his Fire Island Pines fundraising pitch, a media trip to Key West in October, covering Obama's election in Times Square and discussing control of the New York State Senate on the Brian Lehrer Show.

2008 is certainly a year that will go down in the history books. It was an extremely turbulent year that brought hardship to millions of people. 2008 also brought hope to others who had decided the status quo was no longer an acceptable option. And it is with that optimistic tone I wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.