From the moment “Auld Lang Syne” was sung last New Year’s Day, the LGBT community has continued to be at the forefront of news and progress around the world. 2011 was an extraordinary year, full of extraordinary people, which there are just too many photographs to show them all. Instead, we pulled some of our favorites, highlighting the trials and tribulations we’ve faced, in a year that seems like a mere flash before our eyes.
View the year in pictures, after the jump.
President Obama greets Daniel Hernandez Jr., hero and intern of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, at the memorial event, ”Together We Thrive: Tucson and America” in Tucson, Arizona.
A patron snaps a photograph at the grand opening of the world’s first LGBT History Museum in San Francisco.
Friends and family mourn the loss of gay rights activist David Kato at his funeral in Mataba, Uganda.
Russian police detain gay rights activist Nikolay Alexeyev during an attempt to hold an unauthorized rally in central Moscow.
Plaintiffs of California’s ongoing Prop 8 trial, Paul Katami (right) and Jeff Zarrillo enter the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco.
Tom MacMaster, an Edinburgh University masters student and Middle East activist, apologizes for impersonating an out lesbian living in Syria for the blog, A Gay Girl in Damascus.
Thousands of people take part in the 2011 Europride parade at the Colosseum in Rome.
Comedian Tracy Morgan meets with residents of the Ali Forney Center, a homeless LGBT youth shelter in New York, after making homophobic remarks during a stand-up routine.
It Gets Better cofounders Dan Savage (right) and husband Terry Miller chat with reporters in the White House East Room during Obama’s annual reception honoring LGBT pride month.
Maira Garcia (right) and Maria Vargas wait in line to get married at the Brooklyn City Clerk’s office on the first day gay couples were allowed to legally marry in New York state.
Transgender activist Chaz Bono completes his first ballroom dance on national television for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
Major General Steven Hummer, of the DADT repeal implementation team, speaks to members of the press during a briefing at the Pentagon, announcing the official end to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Harvard’s varsity wrestling team speaks to the press on the steps of the Malkin Athletic Center, sporting gay pride attire and rainbow pins that read “Proud Ally,” in honor of National Coming Out Day.
President Obama delivers remarks during the Human Rights Campaign’s 15th Annual National Dinner in Washington D.C.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets members of the audience after delivering her historic speech titled “Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights” at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland.
