2009’s Naughty and Nice List!

Before the Ball dropped in Times Square to ring in 2009, the Great Gay Debate was underway in America. Prop. 8 was the catalyst, and in its wake everyone had an opinion on GLBT civil rights. We listened. We blogged. But someone else was watching too. Someone who sees you when you're sleeping, who knows when you're awake. Someone who knows when you've been bad or good — and keeps a list to prove it.

Yep, Santa Claus is coming to town in just a few days, and we've managed to get our hands on his 2009 Naughty and Nice list. The folks on the Naughty list will get a lump of clean burning coal in their stockings this year, and a rainbow-colored Asshat. The Nice list will receive an AfterElton.com Crown of Visibility, and "Glee: The Music, Volumes 1 and 2."

THE NAUGHTY LIST

The Fort Worth, Texas Police Department

2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the beginning of the modern gay rights movement in America. On the actual anniversary of Stonewall, the Fort Worth police decided to celebrate with a raid on an innocuous gay bar, The Rainbow Lounge. They hospitalized at least one patron, and roughed up several others.

It was supposed to be a routine check of underage drinking and liquor licenses, but it turned into a full-blown assault.

Police chief Jeff Halstead defended the officers' actions by saying: "You're touched and advanced in certain ways by people inside the bar, that's offensive. I'm happy with the restraint used when they were contacted like that."

After an internal investigation, Halstead's department was cleared of all charges, though some officers received disciplinary action for paperwork infractions. Two members of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission were fired over the raid.

In November, Halstead said "flawed policy" led to the "incident." He promised to implement new policy. We're not holding our breath.