News-wise it's been a massive year for glbt folk. Here's our run-down of the stories that reflected and changed our glbt communities over the last twelve months. JANUARY The year began with one of the world's best-known gay wits arriving in NZ to meet some rare birds. Stephen Fry said he very much enjoyed meeting our endangered Kakapo - even if one of them did try to shag his crew! Later in the month, Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson exchanged vows with his long-term partner, the editor of HIV+ people's magazine Collective Thinking Aaron McDonald died, a Christchurch cafe offered up a 'slightly gay-sounding pie' while the city's gay-run Flamingo Bar closed. The big international stories included Boy George going to jail and Sean Penn winning a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Harvey Milk. FEBRUARY February's always a busy month for gay events in Auckland and 2009 proved to be no exception - the hastily-assembled Pride '09 Festival got underway, which included Prime Minister John Key dancing on stage with Buffy (a reduction from the previous ten years), a few days before the New Zealand AIDS Foundation acknowledged that the number of people diagnosed with HIV in 2008 had been the highest ever recorded in New Zealand. Overseas, the entire wardrobe and props store of lesbian TV drama The L Word was auctioned off in Canada, and there was a guilty verdict in a high-profile Pennsylvania gay porn murder trial. APRIL The Topp Twins - Untouchable Girls movie was released to favourable reviews and record-breaking box-office takings, while the Milk movie was banned in Samoa. Dancing stars Samantha Hitchcock there was crystal-clear sky and great snow at Queenstown's Gay Ski Week. The NZ AIDS Foundation launched its new and far-reaching Get it On! campaign. Ferdinand Ambach was sentenced to twelve years' jail for killing Ron Brown. The Naval was sworn in as America's ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, and an ex-MP with a history of voting against the rights of LGBT people was appointed to New Zealand's Human Rights Review Tribunal. Elsewhere in the world, Wales rugby legend Gareth Thomas came out as gay, Houston, Texas, elected a lesbian mayor, and a McDonald's manager in Florida was fired after he told a transgender jobseeker "we do not hire faggots". Lastly, we're hoping that two female albatrosses who are together waiting for their egg to hatch will start 2010 with a healthy chick. You go girls! Matt Akersten - 27th December 2009