Why we still need safety nets

Sometimes, those of us who live every day of our lives openly forget that this is not the norm. We exist in a bubble where, aside from occasionally wondering if it's OK to kiss our partner or hold hands in a particular public place, we face no outward discrimination, no threats to our safety, no possibilities of losing our jobs.
But for many LGBT people – from the age when they first realize who they are to the day that they die – life is a constant struggle of figuring out when to be honest and when to lie; when to mention their partner and when to bite their tongue; when to be themselves and when to "straighten up." They walk a tightrope every day.
Years – sometimes decades – ago, a courageous few began to take actions to try to ensure that LGBT people could come out and stay out, wherever they were. They did it through citywide ordinances, through creation of social groups, through company policy, through school boards and executive boards.
For example, in 1978, Ann Arbor became the first city in Michigan – and the first in the U.S. – to pass an ordinance prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination in areas such as housing and the workplace. Over the years, 17 other cities did the same – some as recently as this month.
And on a smaller level, LGBT employees of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford Motor Company began starting up resource groups within their respective companies in the 1990s to provide social opportunities, support and a vehicle for changing company policy to be more LGBT-inclusive. All three have survived, and are still working today.
Even more specialized is the fact that 25 years ago, a group of gay bowlers got together and decided to start a tournament called the Motown Invitational Classic. This month, they celebrated a milestone anniversary and brought hundreds of LGBT bowlers to Detroit.
But just as with any organization, policy, event or effort, things have changed over the years.
In the case of ordinances, what began as laws necessary to protecting LGBT citizens are now passed by a majority of straight city council members and voters not just because they want to protect their neighbors, but because they want their city to be seen as welcoming, safe and inclusive.
For employee resource groups such as GM Plus, Ford GLOBE and Chrysler People of Diversity, goals have changed as much as membership and leadership. In 2000, they celebrated the passage of same-sex domestic partner benefits by all three of the companies. Today, Ford GLOBE chair calls being openly gay in his workplace a "non-issue." Instead, they work on expanding, educating and throwing events.
And as for the Motown Invitational Classic, venues, leadership, themes and purpose have all changed throughout the years.
But what doesn't change about these and many other efforts put into place years ago are the fact that they are there to support every LGBT individual in the most necessary ways. In their homes, their workplaces, their social lives. These efforts should be continued, built upon and – hopefully soon – bolstered by statewide and federal laws.
Whether it's a recreational group, a professional organization or a law, all are designed to protect us, nurture us and make our lives happier – even when some of us think we don't need the safety net anymore.