Los Angeles Times sports writer Mike Penner announced to his readers today that he’ll return from vacation in a few weeks as “Christine.” This is without a doubt one of the bravest columns I’ve ever read.

A story in this morning’s New York Times about the trial of three very young men who beat and chased a gay man into traffic, resulting in his death, contains a sentence that stopped me cold: “Prosecutors said they chose their victim because they thought gay men were weak and afraid.”

It made me angry. And not for the reasons one might assume. Certainly preying on anyone believed to be an easy target is pure evil. But what struck me was that many people still believe that being gay equals being “weak and afraid.” We’re supposed to be beyond this by now.

In fact, the world just learned the very first Marine injured in Iraq, Eric Silva (not to mention likely thousands of others serving there), is gay. Weak and afraid? A fighting U.S. Marine? Obviously not. Former NBA player John Amaechi. Weak and afraid? No. I could go on.

But then I was reminded of something I heard earlier this year in Alabama when I was there to help film a documentary about openly gay state Rep. Patricia Todd, the state’s first out elected official. We interviewed nearly a dozen people, including activists, lawyers and clergy, as well as Patricia herself. Nearly everyone spoke about fear. In Alabama, as in many places around the world, fear is still a force in the LGBT community. In fact, it’s been such a driving force that it made it very hard to even develop a community there.

Each interview subject brought up the subject of fear in order to explain how Patricia Todd’s election is helping to dispel it in Alabama. She was not afraid to be herself, and she won anyway. She was not hiding her sexuality, but she was not running to become the “gay legislator.” And that has made a world of difference there.

The global movement for LGBT rights still suffers from fear in far too many places–third world countries, conservative southern U.S. states, and the hearts of many who are afraid to come out. That fear is far more destructive than the opinions of bigots we don’t know or the tears of those we do. We can survive those unpleasant moments, but we cannot move forward until we face that fear.

Three men targeted and killed a gay man in New York because they still assumed gays and lesbians are weak and afraid. In some places, we still are, and when that fear is finally gone we will be equal because we won’t accept anything less.

Bloggoddess Pam Spaulding has a great post up about the accomplishments of openly LGBT elected officials, and how the Victory Fund’s support of them is bringing about positive results for our community in state legislatures. “This is what it is all about. Personal voices, personal stories of people who are your colleagues, fellow taxpayers, fellow citizens,” Pam writes on her fantastic blog, Pam’s House Blend.

Recent weeks have brought a flood of good news from state legislatures where openly LGBT lawmakers are serving. In Oregon yesterday, Rep. Tina Kotek hailed the passage of LGBT civil rights and domestic partner bills. In Washington, the state’s four LGBT legislators were instrumental in passing a domestic partner measure that the governor has vowed to sign.

In Connecticut, out legislators such as Rep. Beth Bye and Sen. Andrew McDonald have pushed hard to upgrade that state’s civil unions law to full marriage rights.

In Georgia and Arkansas, Rep. Karla Drenner and Rep. Kathy Webb have played key roles in turning back laws that would have banned adoption by gay couples.

And the LGBT caucus in California is trying once again to pass a law legalizing marriage for same sex couples, even though Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger has vowed to veto the measure for a second time.

There are more examples, but the point is this. None of this good work would likely have happened without the presence of openly LGBT elected officials. They truly are on the front lines of the nationwide fight for equality, and they deserve our support.

Fred Phelps and his Westboro wackos announced they are planning to picket the funerals of Virginia Tech shooting victims, according to Andy at Towleroad. A message on the Phelps website explains the horrific shootings: “Why did this happen, you ask? It’s simple. Your military chose to shoot at the servants of God today.”