A man standing next to a book cover.

2021: The year in review

By Nancy Ford

As I’ve said at this time every December for the last 33 years (please sing along if you know the words), “What a year, what a year.â€

And what a year it’s been for Texas. We had an ice storm and a nearly statewide power outage. We had a hurricane. We had a flood or two (or more). In 2021, talking about the weather wasn’t just an idle pastime, it was a survivor skill.

And we had inoculations and booster shots. To those of us who suffered but lived through the ongoing global pandemic, we salute your strength. For those who lost friends and family, we love and support you.

It hasn’t all been an all-gloom-and-doom trip around the sun, though. Houston went to the World Series this year!

Even though we didn’t win the big prize, it’s still an honor to be nominated.

Personally, I’m blessed to be able to say I’ve had a pretty tolerable year. Lost a little weight. Got a good haircut. Stayed healthy. Perhaps most significant of all, I did not become globally infamous for going topless and wearing buffalo horns while laying siege to our nation’s capitol. Not everyone can claim that distinction.

Here is a month-by-month replay of some of the more noteworthy events of 2021. A lot happened — too much to fit into just one What a World. We’ll complete our review of 2021 in next month’s MONTROSE STAR.

Happy holidays!

JANUARY

On January 21, one day after he was inaugurated as 46th President of the United States — one day! — Joe Biden signed an executive order that extended existing federal nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ people.

It was a welcomed action by the Oval Office following four years of the LGBTQ community dreading what the Orange Roughy might come up with next to harass us.

“It is a true breath of fresh air to see President Biden prioritize LGBTQ non-discrimination protections and inclusive data collection on day one, along with several other key policy changes that will protect marginalized communities,†said Sam Brinton, vice president of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project.

FEBRUARY

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) let her freak flag fly — and we mean that in the most unflattering way possible — when she hung a sign outside her capitol office door that stated: “There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE. Trust The Science.â€

Adding Neanderthal insult to injury, MTG’s office is located directly across the hall from the office of Rep. Marie Newman (D-Illinois), who displays the Transgender Pride flag outside her own office in support of her daughter is who is trans.

MARCH

Pope Francis disappointed Christ-like Christians around the world when he approved church language condemning same-sex marriage as “sin.â€

“Having sin be explicitly included in this statement kind of brings us back to zero,†said Ross Murray, director of religious issues for GLAAD. “The ability for us to live out our lives fully and freely is still seen as an affront to the church or, worse yet, an affront to God, who created us and knows us and loves us.â€

To deliver his statement in style, Pope Frank chose a sleek Vera Wang-inspired white, silky gown topped with a matching white shawl that did not look at all like a bridal gown, accessorizing with a simple solid gold cross necklace and tasteful slippers.

APRIL

Former Olympic star, current pariah Caitlyn Jenner announced she would run for governor of California, much to the amusement and disgust of the LGBTQ community.

“Make no mistake: we can’t wait to elect a #trans governor of California,†a representative of Equality California said in a tweet. “But @Caitlyn_Jenner spent years telling the #LGBTQ+ community to trust Donald Trump. We saw how that turned out. Now she wants us to trust her? Hard pass.â€

Jenner went on to win one percent of the vote in the California recall election but was defeated by Gov. Gavin Newsome, whom voters chose in a landslide to stay in office.

MAY

LGBTQs and those who love us tuned in to watch Pride, a docu-series on the FX network that offered a glimpse of life as queer folk fought for our civil rights during the later 20th century and a few years into the 21st. Among topics like unfair military discharges, the AIDS pandemic, and media representation, the series examined police brutality before, during, and after the 1969 Stonewall Riot.

That same topic dominated a national conversation about whether law enforcement should be represented in Pride Parades, given the history of police violence against LGBTQs.

The Houston Police Department did not march in the 2021 Houston Pride Parade — because there was no 2021 Houston Pride Parade. Thanks, Covid.

JUNE

President Biden commemorates Pride Month at the White House with a ceremony in the East Room where he said, “Our presence here this afternoon makes a simple, strong statement: Pride is back at the White House.â€
Indeed, it is.

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