Crappy Michigan weather aside, last Thursday I was given another reason to want to move to California.  California legalized same sex marriage.  While this is a nationwide victory for lesbian and gay rights activists and proponents, there is still a long way to go and an increased risk of a nationwide backlash.   

My heightened spirits from California’s victory was abruptly dampened when The Triangle Foundation reported that the number of violent crimes against Michiganders because of their sexual orientation jumped 133% last year over 2006. 133%!

This bad news, coupled with Michigan’s Supreme Court recent decision to prohibit employers from providing health care benefits to partners of lesbian and gay employees, is a troubling signal that Michigan is going backwards. And if Michigan doesn’t shape up, this state is going to continue to lose talented people as they move to more tolerant, and frankly, better places—places where health insurance isn’t restricted based on sexual orientation, places where lesbians and gays can walk out in public without the fear of being attacked.