Mark
Foley
wasn’t
the
only
gay
story
of
2006.
The
year
will
be
remembered
for
the
Democratic
victories
in
the
midterm
elections,
the
somber
25th
anniversary
of
AIDS
and
big
changes
in
the
way
gays
are
treated
by
some
of
the
world’s
major
religions.
In
no
particular
order,
here
are
the
Blade’s
picks
for
the
biggest
gay
news
stories
of
the
year.
Democrats
retake
Congress
November’s
midterm
elections,
in
which
Democrats
won
majorities
in
both
houses
of
Congress
after
12
years
of
Republican
control,
were
viewed
by
many
gays
as
a
tremendous
victory.
While
it
remains
to
be
seen
how
much
of
a
priority
gay
issues
will
be
for
the
new
Congress,
members
are
expected
to
take
up
pro-gay
legislation
in
2007,
including
the
Employment
Non-Discrimination
Act,
which
calls
for
banning
private
sector
employment
discrimination
based
on
sexual
orientation
and
gender
identity;
and
the
Local
Law
Enforcement
Enhancement
Act,
which
calls
for
giving
the
federal
government
authority
to
prosecute
hate
crimes
based
on
a
victim’s
sexual
orientation,
gender
identity
or
disability.
At
least
eight
other
gay-
or
HIV-related
bills
have
been
introduced
in
Congress
in
recent
years
but
have
died
in
committee
after
Republican
leaders
refused
to
bring
them
up
for
a
vote.
25th
anniversary
of
AIDS
June
5
marked
a
quarter-century
since
AIDS
was
first
reported
by
the
Center
for
Disease
Control
in
1981.
Since
then,
activists
pointed
to
several
key
developments
to
celebrate
in
the
ongoing
fight
against
the
epidemic.
The
Ryan
White
CARE
Act,
the
federal
government’s
largest
program
for
providing
medical
treatment
and
support
to
uninsured
and
low-income
people
with
HIV
and
AIDS,
was
reauthorized
by
Congress
this
month
after
a
lengthy
delay.
HIV-positive
people
who
have
access
to
drug
cocktails
developed
in
1996
are
also
living
longer
without
AIDS
than
was
conceivable
at
the
disease’s
outset,
raising
the
hope
that
eventually
HIV
may
become
a
chronic
but
manageable
disease
with
which
the
infected
can
expect
normal
life
spans.
Despite
some
undeniable
advances,
HIV
and
AIDS
continue
to
wreak
havoc
in
the
U.S.
among
gay
men,
especially
black
gay
men.
Of
the
more
than
1
million
Americans
living
with
HIV,
74
percent
are
men
and
between
67-72
percent
of
them
contracted
the
disease
through
gay
sex,
according
to
government
statistics.
National
estimates
suggest
that
25
percent
of
white
gay
men
in
the
U.S.
are
living
with
HIV
compared
to
50
percent
of
black
gay
men.
Blacks
are
about
12
to
13
percent
of
the
U.S.
population
but
account
for
47
percent
of
Americans
living
with
HIV.
AIDS
activists
are
concerned
that
there’s
a
false
perception
among
young
gay
men,
who
were
either
not
yet
born
or
too
young
to
experience
the
toll
the
early
years
of
the
disease
took
on
the
gay
community,
that
AIDS
has
become
a
manageable
disease.
States
ban
gay
marriage
The
midterm
election
news
wasn’t
all
good
for
gays.
Colorado,
Idaho,
South
Carolina,
South
Dakota,
Virginia,
Tennessee
and
Wisconsin
passed
amendments
to
their
state
constitutions
banning
gay
marriage.
The
only
such
initiative
to
be
rejected
by
voters
was
Arizona’s,
which
came
close
with
anti-amendment
votes
exceeding
pro
amendment
votes
by
about
32,000
out
of
about
1.1
million
cast.
That
breaks
down
to
about
51
percent
who
voted
against
the
amendment
compared
to
about
48
percent
who
supported
it.
Three
of
the
states
that
passed
such
amendments
did
so
by
considerable
margins.
Tennessee’s
passed
with
81
percent
of
the
vote,
South
Carolina’s
with
78
percent
and
Idaho’s
with
63
percent.
The
votes
were
closer
in
the
other
states.
In
Virginia,
43
percent
of
voters
opposed
the
gay
marriage
ban
as
did
48
percent
of
South
Dakota
residents.
While
these
amendments
—
except
for
Arizona’s
—
passed
with
relative
ease,
some
gay
marriage
advocates
are
optimistic
and
point
to
decreasing
margins
when
these
numbers
are
compared
to
similar
laws
passed
just
a
decade
ago.
While
gay
marriage
advocates
lauded
the
Arizona
outcome,
it
was
later
revealed
that
most
voted
against
the
measure
because
they
felt
the
government
should
stay
out
of
the
issue,
not
because
they
supported
gay
marriage,
according
to
a
poll
released
later
in
November.
Among
those
surveyed,
only
8
percent
said
they
supported
same-sex
marriage.
Catholics
call
gays
‘disordered’
The
United
States
Conference
of
Catholic
Bishops
overwhelmingly
passed
a
document
called
“Ministry
to
Persons
With
a
Homosexual
Inclination:
Guidelines
for
Pastoral
Care”
in
Baltimore
in
November.
The
document
maintains
the
Catholic
Church’s
long-standing
teaching
that
homosexual
activity
of
any
kind
is
sinful.
Anyone
ministering
to
homosexuals
under
the
auspices
of
the
church
must
strictly
adhere
to
the
document’s
teachings,
which
claim
that
same-sex
attractions
are
“disordered.”
The
vote
passed
194
to
37.
Most
who
rejected
the
document
said
it
wasn’t
worded
strongly
enough,
though
a
few
rejected
the
language
altogether.
Although
the
document
stipulates
that
gays
be
treated
with
respect
and
compassion
and
that
violence,
scorn
and
hatred
against
gays
is
wrong,
it
says
any
form
of
gay
sexual
expression
also
wrong.
Gay
Catholics
who
live
celibate
lives
are
free
to
take
active
roles
in
their
faith
communities
but
gay
adoptions,
civil
unions
and
same-sex
marriages
are
forbidden.
The
one
concession
the
bishops
made
was
that
children
of
gay
couples
are
not
to
be
refused
baptism
in
the
hope
they’ll
be
raised
Catholic.
Critics
of
the
document,
including
members
of
gay
Catholic
group
New
Ways
Ministry,
said
they
wish
the
church
had
consulted
with
gays
to
seek
their
input
regarding
the
document.
Some
speculated
that
the
guidelines
won’t
be
universally
observed
in
Catholic
churches.
Jefferts
Schori
to
lead
Episcopals
Bishop
Katharine
Jefferts
Schori
became
the
first
woman
to
lead
the
Episcopal
Church
Nov.
4
and
is
the
first
female
priest
to
head
an
Anglican
national
church
worldwide.
Her
election
is
notable
because
she
teaches
that
homosexuality
is
not
a
sin
and
supports
ordaining
gay
priests.
She
faces
a
challenging
situation
—
the
...
