193 Reasons to Have Pride: Part One

 Because
GENE ROBINSON ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE
The first openly gay Episcopal bishop will step down in two years, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be merely content with a pastoral New Hampshire retirement. Robinson, who at 64 is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, says he intends continue his LGBT activism as well as take a more visible role in public policy.

Because
WE’RE GETTING LONG-OVERDUE RECOGNITION
Of our relationships, that is. We still have a long march to nationwide marriage equality, but states including Delaware, Illinois, and Hawaii, which all OK’d civil unions this year, are taking steps in the right direction. We are holding out hope for marriage soon in New York and Rhode Island, and the Obama administration’s decision to cease defending the indefensible Defense of Marriage Act is all to the good!

Because
APPLE KNOWS WE MEAN BUSINESS
Exodus International’s “ex-gay” iPhone app, released March 8, caused such an uproar for its hateful and bigoted message that Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit that battles antigay religious extremism, amassed over 150,000 signatures demanding its removal. By March 23, Apple had yanked the app from its online store.

 Because
THE HOTTEST ANTIFUR ACTIVIST BELONGS TO OUR TEAM
Known for his tailored homage to all things masculine, men’s fashion designer John Bartlett has become a vocal opponent to the growing use of fur in collections. “They don’t understand why fur isn’t fabulous,” Bartlett said of some colleagues at New York Fashion Week in February. “[Many] consider fur as fabric. There is this incredible disconnect.”

 Because
WE LOOK GOOD IN UNIFORM TOO
In April military service chiefs told Congress that training efforts in the implementation of “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal were going smoothly and that recruitment numbers were unaffected. Did repeal advocates know this would be the case? Yep. But it’s nice to hear it from the powers that be. And while gay service members aren’t going to come out en masse the very day they are allowed to do so (perhaps by September), it’s nice to know they’ll at least have the option.