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Our Year in Review – April ‘11-‘12

A kiss is still a kiss—but what a kiss it was! When a female naval officer smooched her fiancee during a military homecoming ritual, it indelibly marked the true and final end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The victories of the past year seemed to come fast and furious: New York finally legalizing same-sex marriage along with Maryland and Washington State; Chaz Bono busting a move as Dancing with the Stars’ first transgender contestant; the snowballing Occupy Wall Street movement demanding justice for the hardworking 99 percent. Even great tragedy, and the still-raw memories of America’s worst terrorist attack, failed to slow the rekindling of our optimism. (And if you want more proof, see GO’s landmark Tenth Anniversary issue this September!)

ATLANTIC YARDS RISES UP

Forest City Ratner’s massive Atlantic Yards project—that hulking, rusty edifice at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues in the heart of downtown Brooklyn—materialized into a recognizable sports arena in the second half of 2011. When finished, the controversial Barclays Center stadium will house the Brooklyn (né New Jersey) Nets basketball team under the ownership of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov; the developers are also required to build a minimum amount of affordable housing and commercial space for small businesses. Boosters claim the development will create permanent jobs and revitalize the area. But will the Nets’ dismal win percentage (third worst in the NBA!) help or hurt the County of Kings?

What Do You Think?