Welcome to the 10th annual OutSmart magazine Top Ten. For a decade now, I have reflected on the past year to make my list of things we want to leave behind and things we want to bring forward into the new year. As I look back now at my previous Top Ten lists, I see Kim Davis, the overalls-wearing clerk from Kentucky who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Ah, those were the days. Who would have thought that ten years later, the nation would elect a convicted felon to the presidency who has nominated an allegedly notorious womanizer to run the Pentagon? It’s a mad, mad world we live in, but as you’ll see in this year’s “Things to Keep” section, there are a few bright spots. So sit back, take a break from screaming into your pillow to dull the pain, and ponder OutSmart’s 2024 list of winners and losers.
Things to KEEP for 2025
Delaware’s Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride
Y’all, history was made in 2024. Good history. Sarah McBride was elected by Delawareans to be the first transgender person to serve in the House or Representatives. Every election gives us a snapshot of America, and this one proved to us that there was progress for LGBTQ people. In fact, LGBTQ candidates had many, many successes in the 2024 election, but the most notable and historic was hers. In the days after her victory she appeared on The View with a unifying message that everyone could benefit from, about how there is room for healing what has been hurt and room for common ground on both sides. She’s also not a novice to public service. Before her election she was a state senator in Delaware, the national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign and also author of her 2018 memoir Tomorrow Will Be Different. Some have worried about her safety in Congress, and those concerns were validated when House Republicans banned her from using the appropriate restroom while at work. But McBride’s presence provides an opportunity to perhaps build bridges with those representatives who are there to work and not be total and complete assholes to their colleagues. There has to be at least one person like that in DC. No pressure, Congresswoman.
Lone Star’s Michelin Stars
The prestigious culinary Michelin Guide expanded its universe to include Texas. In total, 15 stars were awarded in the state. Austin took the lion’s share with seven total, but Houston took a very respectable five stars, not including one in Spring. This isn’t news to Houstonians who have, for a long time, known that Houston is the best place to eat. The stars include these restaurants: BCN Taste & Tradition, Le Jardinier, March, Musaafer, and Tatemo. Corkscrew BBQ took the lone star in Spring. However, in an unsurprising turn of events, Dallas received an underwhelming one star in the entire metroplex. There’s always next year, Dallas.
LGBTQ Rights
It wasn’t long ago that marriage equality was not the law of the land. Prior to the 2015 Supreme Court Ruling in Obergefell, same-sex couples could not wed in many states. Similarly, queer sex was outlawed in many places prior to another landmark SCOTUS ruling in 2005, Lawrence v. Texas. These cases are important to remember, not only because they were milestones in the fight for LGBTQ equality, but because they are also in danger as the current Supreme Court has indicated an appetite for overturning those decisions. Nothing in politics is forever for those communities that are political footballs. We must make sure that we fight to keep our hard-won victories and support the right to bodily autonomy, whether that means access to abortion, gender-affirming care, or life-saving preventive medications like PrEP and Doxy PEP. All of these things are connected, which means we are all connected. And with Trump’s return to the White House, we must be vigilant.
Beyoncé
I know I tend to include Beyoncé a lot on this list, but this year is exceptionally notable with the release of her album Cowboy Carter. This country-inspired album allowed Mrs. Carter to return to her Texas roots and sing music that has always infused her sound. The album has been nominated for the Grammy for Album of the Year, This top honor has proven to be an elusive one for a singer who has received the most Grammys of any artist in history. The competition is stiff with the rise of Chappell Roan and the five-time Album of the Year winner, Taylor Swift, who was also nominated. Beyoncé recently surprised her Houston fans by announcing that she will be playing the halftime show at the Texans v Ravens game on December 25. A holiday surprise we could all use, indeed.
Community
Cynical politicians seek to divide communities against themselves in order to create chaos. We have to reinvest in each other as an LGBTQ community, but also in the community at-large. Voters sent a clear message in 2024 about what they wanted. We are going to have to accept that decision, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t resist, and we should. We should also try to make connections and common ground where we can with neighbors, friends and family that may have voted in a way that we find different, or even offensive. It’s understandable to be hurt or even take personally someone’s decision about what they prioritize. That cannot be the end of the conversation, however. If generations of LGBTQ people had simply turned away from those who opposed our right to exist, we would not be where we are today—which, by the way, is a better place than where we were just a few years ago. So try. Start small. Find conversations where you can connect, and then try to learn. I promise you this: in most cases, the person you’re talking to will do the same. And if they don’t, then connect elsewhere. I know it’s not a popular concept in today’s cancel culture, but it’s a tried-and-true method. Memes don’t change minds. Relationships can.
Things to LEAVE in 2024
CenterPoint Energy
In a year filled with tone-deaf moments, it was difficult to pick the one that really made everyone groan in disbelief. But CenterPoint Energy’s CEO, Jeff Wells, managed to snatch the crown. After Hurricane Beryl swept through Houston and knocked out power to millions, the response from CenterPoint was unbearably slow as residents sweltered in the heat. The response was so bad that Wells went on an apology tour that quickly made things worse when he was photographed on July 11 sitting comfortably, and not sweaty, in front of a thermostat set at a frosty 70 degrees. The CenterPoint logo was positioned clearly behind him. Perhaps the communications director was busy that day? The Texas power grid once again became the center of the media
universe, with little action coming from Texas legislators to remedy the situation. It may be time for us to invest in developing our own personal power grids and buy a generator.
Project 2025
President-elect Trump tried to distance himself from Project 2025, a 900+ page document listing how his administration is planning to dramatically change the government over the next four years. And let’s hope he was telling the truth (for once), because it’s bad news for the LGBTQ community, especially transgender people. The plan seeks to dismantle anti-discrimination protections by removing terms such as “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” It also seeks to limit the 2020 Supreme Court decision in Bostock that extended workplace protections to LGBTQ employees. Blocking access to gender-affirming care through Medicare and Medicaid is there, too. These are just a few of the “highlights” and, if accomplished, would set the stage for rolling back even more protections and rights. We are used to fighting this vitriol in Texas, and we must also get used to fighting it everywhere.
Assassinations and Attempts
Here is the deal: there is no excuse for political violence. Politics (and politicians), although vile at times, are about ideas that we should debate. Yes, they are ideas with serious consequences, but this cannot be how we move forward. Period. Also, these attempts typically have the counter-effect of serving the side that they were intended to thwart. When (now) President-elect Trump was grazed by a bullet in July, it turned the race on its ear (no pun intended). Then when it was reported that a second attempt was thwarted while he was golfing, it brought the issue back to the forefront of the race at a critical time. Gun violence is not okay, whether it is in our schools, our clubs, our concert venues, our churches, our grocery stores, our Wal-Marts, our political rallies, or our golf courses.
Trans Panic
For those of us who were around when the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) was overturned by voters, we are well aware of how fear-mongering about the transgender community can motivate voters. In fact, fear of LGBTQ people in general still motivates voters. Election years amplify hatred towards the most vulnerable in society, and 2024 was no different. Incessant ads ran warning people that transgender folks, who make up less than one percent of the population, pose an existential threat to everyone, especially young girls and women. This is as untrue as it is disgusting. It’s no wonder that violence against LGBTQ people is on the rise. Even post election, vitriol aimed at transgender people made its way to the US Capitol, when Rep. Nancy Mace (R- South Carolina) filed a bill banning Sarah McBride, the first transgender congresswoman elected to Congress, from using the appropriate restroom. Speaker Mike Johnson made it official in late November when he implemented the ban unilaterally under his privilege as Speaker. At this point, the Republican party is just resorting to cruelty against their colleagues for a headline. But I can’t say that I am surprised.
“Normal Gays”
While being interviewed by Joe Rogan, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance stated that he would not be surprised if he and Trump got the “normal gay guys” vote. Barf. What this statement made clear is how Republicans are taking a new approach to strategically divide the LGBTQ community by creating a caste system within it. “Normal gay guys” are now those who are “accepted” (sort of) into places where they had previously been shunned, leaving the rest of the community to fend for themselves. And to those who identify as “normal gay guys,” this feels like progress because less than ten years ago, “normal gays guys” were told that they were not worthy of being treated equally. Those of us who are older know that this concept is a mirage—a means to an end. Marginalized communities are the currency of the powerful. They seek to turn us against each other in order to get our votes. Which is why we have to become powerful by running for office and getting elected. And we are.
