193 Reasons to Have Pride: Part 3

Check out Parts One and Two of our 193 Reasons to Have Pride in 2011.

 Because
HE’LL SHAKE HIS BON-BON ON BROADWAY
Choreographer Rob Ashford took the word out of our mouths when he referred to the 2012 revival of Evita as “heaven” in an Entertainment Weekly interview. Returning to Broadway for the first time since Les Misérables in 1996, Ricky Martin will star in the Andrew Lloyd Webber–Tim Rice musical as Che, the show’s narrator and Eva Perón’s conscience.

 Because
WE WIELD A MIGHTY PEN
Building on a literary tradition that includes Walt Whitman, Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, and James Baldwin are many acclaimed contemporary LGBT authors. Emma Donoghue’s Room was shortlisted last year for the U.K.’s prestigious Man Booker Prize. Michael Cunningham, a Pulitzer winner for The Hours, has garnered further praise with his recent By Nightfall. Nina Revoyr’s latest, Wingshooters, “continues her unique and affecting exploration of American racism,” as Booklist put it. We hope to see more from Sarah Waters and Jeanette Winterson soon. And we’re not all about the serious — we’re glad gay wags like the two Davids, Sedaris and Rakoff, keep America laughing as only they can.

 Because
STRAIGHT DUDES ARE ROOTING FOR US
Wrestler Hudson Taylor and rugby players Nick Youngquest and Ben Cohen (pictured) are excellent ambassadors, making the mat, the field, and the court more gay-friendly.

Because
WE’RE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY
What a difference 20 years makes. Though unsuccessful, Colorado lawmakers pushed for civil unions this year, passing legislation in the senate before the bill stalled in the house. The Rocky Mountain State is the same place that in 1992 banned all antidiscrimination protections for LGBT residents. Thankfully the Supreme Court later righted that wrong.

Because
PEOPLE FINALLY CARE ABOUT BULLYING
It’s no secret that LGBT kids and teens — or even those who are simply perceived to be gay — can bear the brunt of harassment by their peers while some adults turn a blind eye. But after a heartbreaking spate of suicides by bullied gay teenagers that made headlines across the country, the epidemic has become hard to ignore. Several lawmakers have introduced and supported legislation on the state and federal levels to end bullying in schools. The issue has headed to Congress (as the Student Non-Discrimination Act) and even the White House, where President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a daylong summit in March on putting an end to bullying.