And let's not make any mistake, or gloss over that fact: Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are at risk every day of their lives. Not only are we the group most at risk of violence, we are most at risk of job discrimination, losing our families; homophobia retains its title as the last socially acceptable form of bigotry.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are at risk every day of their lives.

Gay panic' is insidious. It is corrupt because it appeals to a public that is used to discarding and disregarding gay lives.

This guy looks pretty gay to me. I'm willing to believe they didn't intend it to be a gay man, but I don't believe they're shocked someone would draw that conclusion.

As far as we're concerned, when Ford made its statement to us last month, the matter was finished and we went on with our lives. The AFA can't seem to do the same.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's office has been very aggressive in this case and we have every confidence that they will prevail in this case and some sense of justice will be achieved for Sal and his family.

Is it any wonder that those who attack us feel they have a license to do so? A license to kill? Police won't investigate. Juries won't convict. The public still thinks our lives are a political issue, defined by the mythic "Gay Agenda." America. You Kill Me! America kills all of us.

We just thought it would be important to have a presence right here ... a place to relax a little bit, warm up and find out what's going on around town.

We can not live as disposable people. The broader community, which has firmly established compulsory heterosexuality as the law of the universe, has to get over its problem with us.

We think this issue needs to matter to anyone who believes in true equal opportunity and justice. If we learned anything from our experience with the Proposal 2 battle, it's that these attempts to allow discrimination in Michigan must be stopped and a united effort by many communities is the only hope to stop them.