Top Lesbian News of 2010.

I know I usually do this blog in December, but I thought it would make more sense doing it in January, just so I don't miss anything.

Obviously at the top of the gay news list for 2010 is the fact that Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed, giving gay service members in the US the right to fight for their country.

Helping the cause along the way was Adam Bouska's 'NOH8' campaign, in which hundreds of celebrities got their picture taken (as seen above) to support the marriage and civil service rights of gay people.

In a less up beat, positive side of politics, Constance McMillen made headlines this year refused to go to her high school prom, as the school would not let her take her girlfriend along with her.

Of course, there's always a silver lining - Constance's battle with homophobia from her school was so shocking that it earned her a place on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in which she was interviewed and respected like any other celebrity. Props, Ellen.

On the entertainment side of things, there were a lot of 'outings' this year. (Take singer Ladyhawke and Amy Winehouse, for example.) But there were also a couple of fake outings that made the media headlines.

Yep, that's right, Nicki Minaj was outed this year as 'bisexual', which excited lesbian fans of hip/hop and r&b everywhere. But Minaj later dismissed the rumours, tweeting that 'us ppl r simple'.

Lesbian fan favourites 'Calzona' are still going strong on Grey's Anatomy (and by 'strong' we mean haven't been killed of yet), whilst, as far as I know, the young lesbians on Pretty Little Liars are also doing the gay community proud.

Lesbian favourite and The L Word alum Jane Lynch continued to be nominated for several awards and was a fan-favourite on Glee in 2010 - her success being something which she finds so surreal.

Although this 'news' is possibly something negative, lesbian reality show The Real L Word started this year, created by our favourite(?) lesbian producer, Ilene Chaiken.

Fabulous (again '?') news for next year too - The Real L Word is back for a second series in 2011, with Whitney apparently being at the forefront. Hmm... Only time will tell, ladies.

So what did I miss? Anything worth noting?

Child Custody: Hell For Lesbian in Vermont

We all have exes we really want to slap, right?

But what would you do if your ex - who you also had a baby with - claimed she was now straight and ran away with your child?

If you were any sort of normal person I'm guessing you'd be pretty pissed, quite frankly.

Well that's exactly what 'former-lesbian' Lisa Miller has done. Miller and her ex-partner Janet Jenkins got a Civil Union back in 2000 and Miller gave birth to little Isabella Miller-Jenkins in the same year. (That is not the family in question above - there we have an example of a real happy family.)

Now however, Miller has renounced homosexuality altogether and has pretty much gone into hiding in order to keep the child for herself.

The couple broke up way back in 2001, and courts in both Vermont and Virginia ruled in favour of Jenkins, even though she is not the birth mother. Miller did however have some custody over the child, but had since been warned that she may lose her custodial rights if she violated orders any further.

So Miller, who is now in hiding, was probably just scared of losing her daughter for good, but what was she thinking? Now her chances of seeing her daughter on a regular basis are next to nothing.

Jenkins has recently stated that she just wants "to be with her. Like any normal parent."

Thanks to morganSDGLN at Twitter for the tip!

Top Lesbian News of 2009.

Yep, we're back for a second year with the top lesbian news of the year. With one difference: this year we'll be talking about 2009. Duh.

So what makes your top 5?

As it often features in the blog, I'd like to point out the arrival of Jessica Capshaw as the only lesbian character on television.

Grey's Anatomy got rid of one lesbian character last year and faced a lot of backlash from the gay community. But when Arizona came along, no one was complaining. Will we see the arrival of any more lesbians on TV in 2010?

In other television news, it seems that beloved(?) cable network show The L Word went off air this year.

The L Word paved the way for lesbian visibility way back in 2004, being the first show star an all female, mostly lesbian cast. However this year, the L Word showcased its final season. And boy, did it go out with a bang. For all the wrong reasons, of course.

We all saw a whole host of celebrities come out this year, too. From Brandi Carlile to Kelly McGillis, Clementine Ford to Megan Fox, 2009 was very good for the visibility of out, famous females.

Teens will obviously be very grateful for the lesbian romance portrayed on TV drama Skins between Naomi (Lily Loveless) and Emily (Kathryn Prescott).

Good news for 2010 too: they're back! And it looks all very dramatic too. Check out the E4 Website if you want to know more.

Of course, we also saw the re-administration of Proposition 8 in California this year. Bad news for all the gay and lesbian couples who were hoping to get married. Good news for the ones who took advantage of the law being overturned previously - they were allowed to stay married legally.

So what was the best (or worst) lesbian news for you this year? And what are you hoping happens next year?