Lesbian Pop Culture Reviews

The Whole 9 Yards: Year in Review

We associate the number nine with extremes: highs (cloud nine), lows (the ninth Psalm, predicting the coming of the Antichrist), good luck and bad. Considering the spectrum of events we lived through in 2010-2011—from the greatest victories to the worst tragedies—the number nine seems a particularly apt symbol for the past twelve months’ happenings. On the plus side, DADT was repealed; on the minus side, a near-apocalyptic disaster devastated Japan. Last year, we opened our Annual Year in Review with the crisis in Haiti, which proves again that life is fragile.

12. GIVE ‘EM HELL, GABBY

This past January, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, was shot in the head at point blank range as she spoke with constituents in a Tucson parking lot. Her assailant, Jared Lee Loughner, then emptied his gun on the crowd, killing six people. Giffords’ life was likely saved by Daniel Hernandez, a 19-year-old gay medical student who provided crucial first aid until the ambulance arrived. Giffords is now recovering at a surprisingly fast pace, while Loughner awaits charges on multiple felony counts and faces the death penalty if convicted.

What Do You Think?