150 Reasons to Have Pride in 2010

Also, check out our interview with another reason to be proud: Cynthia Nixon.

BECAUSE FAIR IS FAIR
When Montana’s supreme court ruled in favor of a lesbian who sued her former partner for joint custody of the children they’d raised together, Justice James Nelson called antigay discrimination “evil.” He went on to say that “lesbian and gay Montanans must not be forced to fight to marry, to raise their children, and to live with the same dignity that is accorded heterosexuals.”

In the face of proposed legislation that would have prohibited Maryland from recognizing same-sex marriages performed legally in other jurisdictions, state attorney general Douglas F. Gansler said no. In an opinion (one that antigay pols tried unsuccessfully to impeach him over) Gansler said that if such rights are legal elsewhere, they’re good for Maryland too.
Even though Nevada governor Jim Gibbons vetoed a bill to legalize domestic partnerships, both the senate and assembly overrode the veto with clear majorities.

BECAUSE WE MADE BROADWAY WHAT IT IS TODAY
Stephen Sondheim, the most Tony-winning composer, turned 80 in the spring and is being feted throughout the year for his body of work. I’ll drink to that! (We’ll be toasting with a vodka stinger.)

Yes, Arthur Laurents, the 91-year-old playwright and director, revived his West Side Story (featuring lyrics by Sondheim) in 2009 and has published a memoir, titled Original Story By, but we’re mostly excited by his advice for younger gay men: “First of all I want to say I’m active sexually, so there’s hope for anyone!”