193 Reasons to Have Pride: Part One

Click here to read part two and click here to read part three of The Advocate's "193 Reasons to Have Pride in 2011."

 Because
CHROME BECOMES A LEGEND MOST
Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, the Virgin Mary, and…Andy Warhol? The late gay pop art icon has been immortalized once again—this time by sculptor Rob Pruitt (pictured above) with a metallic statue that will be on public display near effigies of those other notables until October 2 in New York’s Union Square, not far from where Warhol ran his legendary Factory.

Because
MARRIED BINATIONAL COUPLES ARE DEMANDING THEIR RIGHTS
The Defense of Marriage Act that precludes gays and lesbians from sponsoring their foreign spouses for citizenship + President Obama declaring that law unconstitutional = conundrum. The result? Binational couples and their advocates are pushing for parity in ever-increasing numbers. As Stop the Deportations’ Lavi Soloway puts it, “We cannot sit by while the government destroys the hopes and dreams of loving couples.”

Because
A JUNE WEDDING IN MEXICO CITY SOUNDS DELIGHTFUL
In Mexico’s first year of marriage equality, 367 male couples and 333 female ones were legally joined. All but 73 people married were Mexican citizens, and nine were between the ages of 71 and 90. While ceremonies are currently being performed only in Mexico City, the unions are recognized throughout the country. ¡Viva México!

  Because
HE’S A STAR, MAN!
With his candid admission in 1972 that he was bisexual, David Bowie forever liberated pop music and paved the way for other button-pushing artists to come from Freddie Mercury to Lady Gaga. Starman, a new biography of the first truly modern rock star, will likely define Bowie for years to come.

  Because
CHARLIE SHEEN IS VERY HETERO
He’s still resolutely not on our team. Who’s winning now? Yes, it’s us.