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!)
IN LIVING MEMORY
The nation remembered the worst terrorist attacks in American history on September 11, ten years after more than 3,000 people were killed in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. The President and the First Lady were joined by former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush at a somber ceremony at the WTC site, where they greeted families of the victims. The next day, the long-awaited National 9/11 Memorial opened to the public. The monument features two massive waterfalls in the footprints of the Twin Towers.
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