1996 Tranniversary:Kai, Daniel

Performers like the Fugees, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Alanis Morrisette, and The Backstreet Boys were playing on the radio. The Spice Girls topped the music charts with their hit “Wannabe”. Top movies were “The Rock”, “Mission Impossible” and “Independence Day”. Jim Carrey, Mel Gibson, John Travolta and Sandra Bullock were the highest grossing movie stars. That same day, former President Bill Clinton hosted a breakfast at the White House. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was in place and defined marriage for federal purposes as “the union of one man and one woman”, and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. This was also a period of time when the Clinton Administration instituted “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, the official United States policy on military service by gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians. Sports fans anxiously awaited the summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. During the games a pipe bomb was detonated by a US terrorist at Centennial Olympic Park, killing two and injuring 111. Michael Jordan and Andre Agassi got more press than some fierce women basketball, soccer, softball players, and gymnasts (Lisa Leslie, Mia Hamm, etc.). By the end of 1996, the estimated number of people living with HIV was 23 million. The FDA approved the first at home HIV testing and collection kit.