Making the rounds of the Internet every 4th of July is a summary of the great sacrifice made by the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. For those of us in the LGBT community, it is an important read these days. Freedom doesn't come from being hesitant, worrying about yourselves or trepidation about offending others. We can only honor our forefathers' fortitude by our own and not compromise in our struggle for freedom. Liberation comes from real sacrifice and real courage. As the great Benjamin Franklin memorably said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." Read what happened to the 56 signers and know that if we remain strong and are willing to make any sacrifice, we will know full and complete equality.

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds ohardships of the Revolutionary War.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

The price of freedom is never cheap.