21 Top News Stories of the Year

 1. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Is Dead
Now it’s OK to be an openly gay or lesbian soldier. But the fact that there’s still no marriage equality in the military could possibly be the catalyst that leads to federal recognition of same-sex marriages, experts predict. Already the Pentagon ruled that chaplains can officiate at same-sex weddings as long as state laws also permit such unions.

(RELATED: DADT is Dead)