2010 Tranniversary: Lorne, Gaines
In 2010 LGBTQ+ News, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal was signed into law. Following through on a campaign promise, President Barack Obama on December 22, 2010, signed the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the 1994 Clinton administration policy that banned military service by openly gay people. DADT was a compromise after Clinton failed to deliver on a 1992 campaign promise to allow gay and lesbian Americans to join the military. The repeal went into effect in September 2011. This allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly in the US Military.
Popular movies in 2010 included The Book of Eli, Inception, Toy Story 3, Brooklyn’s Finest, The Social Network, How to Train Your Dragon, The Blind Side, and The Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith. Sandra Bullock won best actress for her role in The Blind Side and Jeff Bridges took home the best actor award for Crazy Horse. The Oscar for Best Picture went to “The Hurt Locker”
The top Billboard singles of the year included “Tik Tok” by Kesha, “Need you Now” by Lady Antebellum, “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train, and “California Gurls” with Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg, “Nothin’ on You” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”.
In 2010, Alberto Cantador was the initial winner of the Tour de France, but after a prolonged doping investigation, he was stripped of his win.In 2012. Luxembourg’s, Andy Schleck, was awared the prize. Spain won the FIFA World Cup and Rafael Nadal won three grand slam tennis events. Tiger Woods returned to golf and was the highest paid athlete. Jamaica’s sprinter, Usain Bolt, and US tennis star Serena Williams, won the Laureus World Sportsman/woman of the year awards. The New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl and the San Francisco Giants won the baseball World Series. The Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver, Canada and the Commonwealth Games were held in Delhi, India.
2010 began a decade marked by a growth in technology and the rise of social media. Apple unveiled the iPad tablet and Instagram was launched. Several notable events occurred in 2010. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti and killed an estimated 230,000 people. The Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 workers and spewed oil into the Gulf for months.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. This act is believed to have influenced mid-term elections in the US. President Obama called it a “shellacking” – an election in which the Republicans surged to a majority in the House of Representatives, and gained more governor’s offices and legislative majorities. The Tea Party movement had a profound impact on the 2010 election which enabled challengers in the Republican party to oust GOP establishment candidates in the primary.
In Chile, a miraculous feel-good story occurred. Trapped nearly a half-mile underground for 69 days after an Aug. 5 mine collapse, 33 Chilean miners were freed one-by-one while an entranced global audience watched on television.
U.S. forces formally ended their combat role in Iraq and looked ahead to planned withdrawal, while Iraqis endured months of bitter political haggling after an election that failed to heal Sunni-Shiite divisions. After months of deliberation, President Obama ordered a troop surge in Afghanistan in a major bid to turn the tide of the nearly 10-year-old war. Intense fighting pushed the Taliban out of some longtime strongholds, but the militants remained resilient, and Afghanistan remained beset by corruption and ineffectual government.
First came the online postings of a huge batch of U.S. military documents from Iraq and Afghanistan, Then WikiLeaks started releasing a cache of classified State Department diplomatic cables, creating embarrassment for Washington in its dealings with other nations.
In 2010, the US Supreme Court’s in “Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission” ruled that the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, nonprofit organizations, labor unions, and other associations.