Hate crimes in Michigan up 133% in the last year

Yes, while some states creep forward (California, New York), others remain a dangerous place for gays and lesbians. Blogger Sara Whitman of Suburban Lesbian Housewife, gives some personal insight into the realities of life for LGBT families:

As a woman, I have been raised with a certain level of fear about my safety. Girls are always told to watch where they go, never walk alone, don’t dress too provocatively, and know that men basically only want one thing from you.

We are taught to be afraid, and to live accordingly.

I don’t want to raise my children to be afraid. I am tired of being afraid. But I am a mother and my first instinct is to protect. When I told my children about the California decision, my middle son Zachary said, 'Now we can live in California, too.'

Massachusetts and California. That’s it.

What a joy it was for me to be in Provincetown for a week, and be able to walk down the street holding my sweetie's hand. Sure, wherever we are we sometimes hold hands and hug, in public. But never, never without a lingering thought that we could be in danger of bodily harm for doing it. That's the fear. It embodies itself as a constant self-consciousness over who I am and what other people think of me. And an understanding of where I am safe -- and where I am not.

I can't imagine how hard that must be to see that in your children. But as Sara says, a mother protects her children, and whether you call it being afraid or respecting danger, this is the reality of the world we live in today. It's not right, and it's up to us to change it.

It’s not acceptable in our society to be violent against someone because they are different. It is not acceptable because violence is not acceptable. We have fundamental human rights.

Please read Sara's entire post at GayWired.com. In addition to knowing where all the good restaurants are in Ptown, she's a damn good writer.