The Greatest Gay Moments of 2013

What a year it's been.

There was a bunch of amazing stuff that happened for the LGBTQ community in 2013 that it's hard to keep track of it all. Here are just a few of our favourite gay moments from last year.

Tammy Baldwin Becomes the USA's First Openly Gay Senator

If politics isn't your thing, you may have missed this. But we all know that being gay in the most powerful country in the world is still (unfortunately) often seen as a taboo.

This year, Baldwin made history by becoming the first openly gay senator (for her home state of Wisconsin) - such a monumental achievement for our community.

The United Kingdom Legalizes Gay Marriage.

You probably didn't miss this one, but we all know gay marriage should have come sooner in the Land Of Hope and Glory. Hell yeah, the Brits!

The above image was actually taken from a super anti-gay website, which is why I've chosen to use it here: because they definitely did not create this image for good... But look how great it is! The Queen is officially a supporter, get over it.

Gay marriage will begin starting March this year - and I am so excited and proud to be going to my Aunt's wedding to her girlfriend! Bring on the festivities.

Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, Hawaii, Illinois and New Mexico Get Gay Married.

That's right, the USA also finally got a move on with their legalization of same-sex marriage.

6 more states (please correct me if I'm wrong here!) legalized same-sex marriage, proving that the USA really is becoming the land of freedom and equality once and for all.

Here's to hoping that this will only continue in 2014 - it looks like Utah could be next!

2013 Gave Us Some Great Gay TV.

There are most definitely too many great gay TV moments to mention in this post.

However, some of the best gay on-screen happenings in 2013 came from the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, in which we see Taylor Schilling and Laura Prepon (above) makin' out and doin' the nasty to no end.

BBC America's Orphan Black also gave us the ever-talented Tatiana Maslany who, whilst playing an army of other characters, brought us the delightfully nerdy queer Cosima.

On top of that, shows such as Grey's Anatomy (ABC), Lost Girl (Showcase Canada/SyFy) and Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) continue to wow us with their portrayal of strong, female gays. And we just can't get enough!

Jodie Foster Comes Out... Officially.

Though homosexuals and heterosexuals alike could have probably told you this years ago, way back in January one of the greatest actresses of her time came out of the closet in an elaborate way: while collecting her award at the Golden Globes.

It's always great when celebs tell the world they are proud of who they are, but even better when they are as high profile as the lovely Jodie. Who do you reckon will come out next in 2014?

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Of course there have been many more amazing moments for the LGBTQ community in 2013, but what was your favourite?

What did we miss? Let us know what you thought about 2013 in the comments!

Why Should You Watch Orange Is The New Black?

If you haven't heard of this show yet, you've been living under a rock.

Orange Is The New Black is the new, kickass, Netflix original series which centres around a woman who goes to prison for a crime she committed a decade earlier.

Based on a book of the same name, Orange has a starry cast, led by blonde newcomer, Taylor Schilling.

Photograph © Jill Greenberg, 2013

So why should you watch it and why is it appearing on a lesbian blog? Let us tell you.

1) This show is full to the brim with lesbian activity.

We're not kidding.

Everyone from That 70s Show's Laura Prepon to Natasha Lyonne (American Pie) show their lesbian tendencies in this masterpiece.

And damn, look how hot Prepon is these days:

Image: orangeisthenewblackx via Tumblr

2) Orange brings you the first real transgender woman in the mainstream media.

And my word, she is stylin'.

Laverne Cox plays post-op transwoman Sophia on the show, who is often seen giving the other ladies new haircuts and make up tips.

No seriously, this is amazing for transgender awareness. This show breaks boundaries. Get to watching it.

3) Captain fucking Janeway.

"What?" you might ask. Well, guess which Star Trek alum appears as Russian head chef, Red.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm not a trekkie, but I can understand how this would over-excite some of your science fiction nerd vaginas.

Janeway commands you to watch this show. No one disobeys Janeway.

4) So, so great for feminism.

You're probably thinking "how does a show about a bunch of convicts help the feminist cause?"

Well, almost the entire cast is female, for one thing. Proof that TV shows do not need a strong male character in the central role.

In fact, this guy is one of only three main male characters in the cast:

Yes, that is the pie guy.

But even Jason Biggs' character isn't one of the typical 'masculine', dominating personalities we see far too much of on television. Another main male character is simply the villain, who is sure to get some feminist fires flaring.

What's more is, sexuality is treated as normal in this show. As it should be. The lesbians integrate with the heterosexual characters, and there are arguably even some bisexual (and otherwise sexually identified) characters in the pipeline too.

Different sexualities are treated equally. Women are portrayed as strong. 

A feminist triumph, if you ask me.

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Of course there are a million more reasons you should watch this show, but I hope the four above help to convince you just that little bit more.

I'd recommend it to everyone (over 18, of course) from all sexual orientations, all genders and all walks of life. It's a truly amazing show that you're sure to become emotionally attached to.