News: #uknowhowiknowuregay, Sharks, Steve Hildebrand, Maine

1,000 take to the streets in Friday protest over homophobic attacks in Rome.

Jesus on Mars?

Jeremy Piven hits the beach.

Has-been rapper Fabolous behind offensive #uknowhowiknowuregay Twitter trending topic.

Obama advisor Steve Hildebrand thrashes President, Dems: "I gave up a lot to elect Democrats, and I expect them to give it up for me. I’m going to speak loudly. The Republicans don’t have power unless the moderates and the Blue Dogs give it to them — which is what they’re doing now."

Des Moines, Iowa man claims he was removed from a bar for being gay.

Ted Haggard apologizes for violating an entire congregation.

Nampa, Idaho's transgender candidate Melissa Sue Robinson, who recently announced she was suing Twitter over fake account defamation, gets profiled by AP: "This farming and manufacturing town of about 83,000 residents, where a sugar factory and a local hospital are among the biggest employers, doesn't seem to be all that concerned that Robinson previously lived as a man."

New Zealand transgender MP visits Nepal.

Beach closed: Great White Sharks tagged off Cape Cod.

USA Today on Judy Shepard, her new book, and a federal hate crimes law: "Shepard, who loves playing mah-jongg and drinking martinis, admits to being 'flummoxed' at times about the gay and lesbian world. But, she adds, 'It's not important that I understand it. It's important that I accept it.'"

Britney Spears shocks concert crowd with actual singing.

Washington Post ombudsman on Brian Brown NOM puff piece: "Hesse said she decided to let Brown tell his story, as opposed to extensively quoting what others say about him. Her editors didn't object to the concept. Having Brown's story told in his "voice," Hesse reasoned, would allow readers to best assess his arguments. Fine in theory. But it deprived readers of hearing from others who have battled Brown and find him uncivil and bigoted. To them, he represents injustice. They should have been heard, at length."

NOM's Maggie Gallagher spews lies on Maine radio show.

Calvin Klein model Jamie Dornan launches international male model search.

Scientists identify trio of genetic mutations linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Schwarzenegger's phones blitzed over 'Harvey Milk Day': "So far, the governor’s automated phone line for constituents has received more than 100,000 calls about the bill, most against it, according to Mr. Schwarzenegger’s office."

Real World's Scott Herman shows off his assets.

Little Britain's David Walliams is nominated for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize for his book about a cross-dressing schoolboy. The prize honors the funniest books for children.

Church of Scotland selects gay man, Scott Rennie, to train as a minister.

Maine Archbishop Richard Malone asks churches to fill coffers for fight against marriage equality: "The bishop has asked churches to take up a special second collection next weekend to support Stand For Marriage Maine, the group leading the effort to repeal Maine's same sex marriage law."

Judy Shepard Recalls the Phone Call That Changed Everything

Newsweek has posted an excerpt of Judy Shepard's new memoir, The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed (Hudson River Press):

"But the phone call that Thursday morning wasn't from Matt. It was about him. When the man on the other end of the line announced who he was, an emergency-room doctor from Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie, I went numb. I don't remember what he said, or what I did next. I'm not sure whether it was the ringing phone or my subsequent gasp that startled the still-sleeping Dennis. Whatever it was that woke him, Dennis took the phone from me and then, after a seemingly endless silence, made a noise—a sort of helpless and mournful groan—that I'd never heard before and haven't heard since. Coming as it did from my husband, a man whose reserved manner is as typically masculine and Western as his Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, the moan confirmed my worst fears."

Read the full excerpt here.

Senate Approves Federal Hate Crimes Bill as Amendment to DoD Bill

An expansion of Michael's earlier post...

Attached as an amendment to a defense spending bill expected to pass early next week, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, or, Matthew Shepard Act, passed on a voice vote on Thursday, extending protections of the 1968 hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and gender identity, the AP reports:

"The Senate on Thursday approved the most sweeping expansion of federal hate crimes law since Congress responded four decades ago to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr....Voice vote passage came immediately after supporters cleared a 60-vote procedural hurdle imposed by Republicans trying to block consideration of the legislation. That vote was 63-28."

Also:

"Supporters...emphasized that prosecutions under the bill can occur only when bodily injury is involved, and no minister or protester could be targeted for expressing opposition to homosexuality, even if their statements are followed by another person committing a violent action. To emphasize the point, the Senate passed provisions restating that the bill does not prohibit constitutionally protected speech and that free speech is guaranteed unless it is intended to plan or prepare for an act of violence. The Traditional Values Coalition had expressed concern in a letter to senators that a pastor could be prosecuted for "conspiracy to commit a hate crime" if a sermon resulted in a person acting aggressively against someone based on sexual orientation."

There is a potential pitfall to the bill's passage: "Though the amendment garnered three votes more than necessary to reach cloture, the fate of the hate crimes measure is now partially linked to $1.75 billion in funding for F-22 fighter jets that is also included in the DOD legislation. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates both oppose the F-22 program and a White House spokesperson said the president will not sign a DOD bill that continues to fund the program."

Majority Leader Harry Reid still feels a rewritten bill will eventually pass with the hate crimes amendment in place.

Harry Reid, Judy Shepard on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', Hate Crimes Bills

Speaking at a press briefing this afternoon in support of the hate crimes bill expected to get a vote in the Senate this week, Majority Leader Harry Reid said that he would not only support a rumored bill from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand placing a moratorium on gay military discharges, he would like to make it permanent.

Said Reid: "We’re having trouble getting people into the military. And I think that we shouldn’t turn down anybody that’s willing to fight for our country, certainly based on sexual orientation.

Judy Shepard also appeared at the press conference. Both their remarks, AFTER THE JUMP...

Dennis and Judy Shepard Discuss Hate Crimes Bill

As I mentioned in the round-up, the federal hate crimes bill went before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Attorney General Eric Holder testified, strongly urging passage of the act.

You can read Holder's testimony HERE (PDF).

CNN's Kyra Phillips talked to Dennis and Judy Shepard about their late son Matthew, for whom the bill is named, and the bill itself.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Watch: Hate Crimes Bill Remarks from Harry Reid and Joe Solmonese

At a press conference earlier today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and HRC's Joe Solmonese discussed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (aka the Matthew Shepard Act),  which is reportedly being amended to a tourism bill to be voted on this week.

Watch Reid and Solmonese speak, AFTER THE JUMP...