Leaving behind the year of the good, bad, weird

A few potholes didn't weather the pros of 2006. Sure, there was the bad (the banning of affirmative action). And there was the weird (Pastor Ted Haggard's outing for crystal meth use and escort services). But there was also the good (Jennifer Granholm's triumphant return).
Despite some setbacks for gay marriage and adoption rights (House passed bills allowing adoption agencies to practice religious and gay discrimination), 2006 saw a slew of people from all walks of life standing up for LGBT rights.
Young adults traveled to conservative Christian colleges and military academies across the country on the Equality Ride. Michigan's Chad Grandy was one of them. Over 600 students protested the dismissal of gay guard Charlene Genther of Marian High School Campus, who was fired because she publicly came out as a lesbian.
In what many anticipated as a tight race, Granholm triumphed over Dick DeVos in not only a victory for Michigan, but nationwide. Democrats seized control of both houses of Congress. New Jersey's governor signed legislation granting gay couples all the rights and responsibilities of marriage allowed under state law – but not the title. The state became the third U.S. state, in addition to Connecticut and Vermont, offering civil unions to gay couples and the fifth allowing gay couples some version of marriage.
If Hollywood is any indication of where we're headed, it's likely 2007 will be the coming out year. Actors and singers professed their love for the same-sex. Despite the absence of "Queer As Folk" and "Will & Grace," television continued to include our community through more accurate portrayals of LGBT characters on broadcast and cable networks. Although there wasn't another controversial "Brokeback Mountain," the film industry brought a more nuanced representation to gay characters in films like "Little Miss Sunshine."
And there's Rosie O'Donnell. The lesbian mommy made her debut on the ABC women's chat show "The View" and, with a controversial Clay Aiken outing and Donald Trump clash, ratings soared.
But 2006 wasn't without disappointments. Windsor native Salvagio Vonatti was shot in the head outside of Gigi's, a Detroit club, in early January. Six gay men were bashed at an LGBT Pride Festival in July in San Diego. A student group at Michigan State University was targeted as a hate group based on a recent series of anti-minority and anti-gay actions the group had made. In January, a same-sex couple in Warren tried to join the Warren Community Center so one of their disabled mothers who lives with them could use the facilities. They were turned down because the definition of the term "family" for purposes of membership means a married man and woman and their children.
Though setbacks are hard to ignore, let's look at the flipside. That's where we'll find hope for the New Year.