Gay Place: Tops & Bottoms

We appreciate anyone who has a solid preference for tops or bottoms. We, however, can't choose. We like them both so much! So here is our list of lists for 2012. Online, the Gay Place blog burbles over with even more tip-to-tail goodness, including krewe members' individual lists. Check online for the full batch, and watch as our blog stretches into 2013. Also! Please come out this weekend and say howdy to our krewe in the pasty or ashy flesh as we take to the Eastside streets in a new lusty Mardi Gras kickoff tradition called 12th Night Austin (see Saturday). If you'd like to join our walking krewe, email us. We'll send you a Facebook invite that elucidates on our righteous theme (super secret: see pic).

TOP NATIONAL GAY 10 of 2012

1) U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPOR­TUNITY COMMISSION RULES AGAINST GENDER IDENTITY DISCRIMINATION Booya.

2) "TRANSGENDER" NO LONGER A MENT­AL DISORDER according to the American Psychiatric Association.

3) SAME-SEX MARRIAGE VALIDATION Maine, Maryland, and Wisconsin legalized it, and California's Proposition 8 was deemed unconstitutional.

4) HONEY BOO BOO VALIDATION She loves us – she really, really loves us.

5) SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN Congrats, Wisconsin! You've delivered our nation's first openly gay senator!

6) PRESIDENT OBAMA AFFIRMS HIS SUPPORT OF GAY MARRIAGE Hope evolved.

7) ANDERSON COOPER CAME OUT Rrrawr!

8) TEXAS REP. MARY GONZALEZ AND SEVEN LGBT REPS IN CHAMBER These last elections may not have flipped our Lone Star State from red to blue, but it sure is a lot pinker and more glittery.

9) QUEERLYMPICS Brassy Megan Rapinoe fan fiction goes for the gold.

10) KRISTY MCNICHOL COMES OUT If you lived through the 1970s, you understand the significance of this.

TOP LOCAL GAY 10 of 2012

1) AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL Our hometown publicly declared support for same-sex marriage.

2) BETTIE NAYLOR STREET Bettie paved the way. 'Tis a fitting tribute.

3) AUSTIN PRIDE The AGLPF slathered our sundae with dark chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, then topped it all off with some delicious nasty Peaches. We're still licking our chops. Best. Pride. Ever.

4) GAY-FIL-A The sweet allies at Johnnye's food trailer politely told Chick-fil-A to bite it.

5) CHEER UP CHARLIE'S HANGS IN THERE What noise ordinance? Stay tuned.

6) POLARI Austin's newly rebranded gay film fest: A rose by any other name may smell sweeter.

7) OBAMA COMES TO AUSTIN AND THERE'S AN LGBT TIP Thank Obama Leadership Circle mama and Texas trans-activist Meghan Stabler.

8) THE LAST GAY BI GAY GAY If you're gonna go out, go out with Rusty Laser, Nicky Da B, and John Cameron Mitchell ... But oh, wait, this wasn't the last one after all. Stay tuned.

9) AUSTIN DRAG RENAISSANCE We don't want to name names (Poo Poo Platter, United Court, Ms. Trix, Babtist Women, Ms. Killingspree, KNT, Ms. Kline ...), but there are some busy li'l bees in an emergent and wildly diverse array of bonnets in the ATX.

10) 'BOUT TIME II OPENS The crew at the original BT didn't even give us a chance to miss the first one.

BOTTOM GAY 10 of 2012

1) SUMMER OF CHICK-FIL-A Who knew that America's summer culture war would be so stomach-churning, yet so delicious, all at once?

2) MARK REGNERUS An academic audit of Regnerus's hotly touted (mostly by right-wingers) data found it lacking. The UT academic himself admitted it too weak to warrant the conclusions made by so many anti-gay zealots.

3) BERNADETTE'S CLOSED We are bereft.

4) UNITED WAY CUTS made AIDS Services of Austin, Project Transitions, and so many others suffer.

5) RICK PERRY To reiterate what put him in our Bottom (umm ...) last year: Do we really need to annotate this? National stage = national joke.

6) PUSSY RIOT Free Pussy Riot!

7) THE LAST GAY BI GAY GAY Should we feel jerked around that it really wasn't the last one, after all? No. We should party.

8) BOY SCOUTS OUST DEN MOTHER JENNIFER TYRELL Can't a lesbian mom just lead her den in peace?

9) JAMES DOBSON BLAMES SANDY HOOK ON GAYS And the world says, "WTF?" and "hell no!"

10) UGANDA 'KILL THE GAYS' BILL STILL PUSHING FORWARD And hopefully, the world will step up and say, "WTF?" and "hell no!"

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Many thanks to Brandon Watson and Jordan Gass-Pooré for contributing to these lists. See more online at: austinchronicle.com/gay

ON OUR GAYDAR

MARGARET WRIGHT Come see why they named the stage in her honor. Alternating Fridays, 7-9pm. Rusty's, 405 E. Seventh. Free.

SONYA JEVETTE Soulful Dallas sister hypnotizes with vibrato and vibe. Fri., Jan. 4, 9:30-11:30pm. Rusty's, 405 E. Seventh, 482-9002. Free. www.sonyajevette.com.

12TH NIGHT AUSTIN Austin kicks off the Mardi Gras season with this first-ever procession (from Coco Coquette/Maison d'Etoile), coronation (vote online for a king and queen now!), and afterparty (at the Black­heart, where they're pulling out the big guns: KOOP's Tom Mahnke from the Fais-Do-Do Show!). Follow the star! Find the baby! Sat., Jan. 5, 7pm. Maison d'Etoile, 2109 E. Cesar Chavez; the Black­heart, 86 Rainey. www.12thnightaustin.com, www.blackheartbar.com.

SNOW BUNNY If you missed Lady Bunny at this year's Austin Pride, here's your chance to see her veritable laugh-in, winter-style. Sat., Jan. 5, 10pm & 12mid. Oilcan Harry's, 211 W. Fourth. Free. www.oilcanharrys.com/ComingEvents.html.

GRRLZ WILL BE BOIZ Meet the GWBB crew here once a month. First Sundays, 5-7pm. Rusty's, 405 E. Seventh. Free. www.grrlzwillbeboiz.com.

PFLAG NORTH Meet and greet with allies in the cause of love. Second Tuesday of every month, 6:45pm. Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church, 3315 El Salido, Cedar Park. Free. www.pflagaustin.org.

GIRLFRIEND PRESENTS DJ S.I.R. hits the wheels. Second Thursdays. Cheer Up Charlie's, 1104 E. Sixth. Free. www.facebook.com/girlfriendatx.

PROPOSE A TOAST(MASTER) Come zhoosh your public speaking and communication skills. Second and fourth Mondays, 6pm. Rusty's, 405 E. Seventh. www.aglcc.org/toastmasters.

HO-RIZON

POO POO PLATTER: POST APOOPCALYPSE Come dressed to poop for Annie DePressant's costume contest. DJs Mouth­feel and Dren Pasht will have you hoofin' like constipated chickens. Fri., Jan. 11, 10pm. Elysium, 705 Red River. $3.