NFL player Carl Nassib came out in June.

Coming out, retiring, moving, taking over — there were a number of moments of note that have happened over the last 12 months. Here are just a few of the milestones that made us stop and take note:

• May 18: Dale Hansen, the WFAA Channel 8 sportscaster who over the last decade has made a name for himself an as advocate for and ally of the LGBTQ community, announced that he would be retiring, effective Sept. 2.

• In June, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia announced that Officer Megan Thomas had been named as DPD’s new LGBTQ liaison officer, taking over for Office Chelsea Geist, who was promoted to the Crime Response Team.

• Openly gay Dallas City Council member Chad West was named Dallas Mayor Pro Tem on June 14 after being elected to his second term on the council. West represents District 1.

• Carl Nassib, 28, defensive end with the Las Vegas Raiders, came out June 21 as a gay man, making him the first active NFL player to do so.

• Luke Prokop, the 19-year-old defenseman for the Nashville Predators, came out as a gay man on July 19, making him the first openly gay player under contract with a National Hockey League team.

• Mike Nguyen, a 13-year employee of Caven Enterprises and then-general manager of TMC: The Mining Company, announced Sept. 14 that he was taking over as takes over as Caven CEO.

• The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 14 ordered Southeastern Oklahoma State University to reinstate transgender Professor Rachel Tudor, who had been fired from the school in 2011.

• Joe Hoselton and Scott Burk in September assumed ownership of the Gay USofA system of pageants following the deaths of previous owners Jerry Bird and his sister, Miss Linda.

• State Rep. Celia Israel of Austin, one of the founders of the LGBT Caucus in the Texas House of Representatives, announced Sept. 22 that would not run for re-election to the Texas Legislature but is instead considering running for mayor of Austin.

• Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, aka 70-year-old Cassandra Peterson, in September released her memoir, Yours Cruelly, Elvira, in which she revealed that she is a lesbian and has been in a relationship with Teresa Wierson for the last 19 years. And lesbians the world over rejoiced.

• Mj Rodriguez, who starred in the ground-breaking FX TV series Pose with Billy Porter, made history on Oct. 19, as the first out trans woman to be nominated for an Emmy Award in the outstanding lead actress category.

• U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas announced Nov. 20 that she was retiring from Congress and would not be running for re-election. Throughout her career in public life, she has been an ally of the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities.

• Southern Methodist University’s Human Rights Program presented its Triumph of the Spirit Award to LGBTQ activist couple Enrique McGregor and Mark Niermann in recognition of their having founded the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas more than 20 years ago, and for their advocacy for the LGBTQ community over the years.

• Brad Pritchett — senior director of marketing and communications for the Dallas Theater Center from 2007-2017, North Texas vice president of marketing and communications for the American Heart Association from 2017 til the end of November 2021, cochair of the Black Tie Dinner from December 2019 through December 2021, and DVtv host extraodinaire — in November 2021 was named the new chief marketing and communications officer for the Dallas Museum of Art.

• On Dec. 3, Dallas Voice announced that Charles Santos, executive director of TITAS/Dance Unbound for the past 20 seasons, had been named the Voice’s LGBTQ Texan of the Year.

— Tammye Nash