IS HATE CRIMES GETTING VOTED ON TODAY?

According to The Advocate, The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act may be attached to the Defense Department Authorization Bill by vote today:

The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on whether to attach to the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the Department of Defense authorization bill.
Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid called for the vote Wednesday.
"We must act in the name of Judy Shepard, of her son Matthew Shepard," Reid said from the Senate floor, "so that others may know justice. If their country doesn't stand up for them, if we don't stand up for them, who will?"
Some Republicans oppose the measure, but most Democrats support it and Reid hopes to get help from GOP moderates such as Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire in order to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to pass the amendment.

I'm still nervous about this bill (see my previous post about attaching the DADT moratorium to it). The Defense Authorization is very controversial--let's be careful.

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In anti-gay attack, AIM falsely asserts "pedophile" Jennings was "teaching 14-year-old boys" about sexual practices | Media Matters for America

In anti-gay attack, AIM falsely asserts "pedophile" Jennings was "teaching 14-year-old boys" about sexual practices | Media Matters for America : "In attacking the media for allegedly insufficient coverage of Obama administration official Kevin Jennings, a blogger for Accuracy in Media, which purports to 'set the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage' -- and which has a record of antagonism toward gays -- smeared Jennings as a 'pedophile' and falsely claimed that '[v]ideos have surfaced of Jennings teaching 14-year-old boys the dangerous sexual practice of 'fisting,' and discussing with them the particulars of oral sex.' In fact, Jennings did not conduct that seminar and, in fact, reportedly criticized it when he became aware of its content." AIM is a crock. They're nothing more than Republican mouthpieces.

Michigan: Announcement of Calvin College board's stand on homosexuality, same-sex marriage expected soon

Big news out of Michigan, surely the Professors (who tend to be very progressive) can't wait to find out - MLive.com : "Calvin College professors will find out Monday whether the college’s governing board will withdraw a controversial memo ordering them to follow Christian Reformed Church teachings against homosexuality and same-sex marriage. President Gaylen Byker will update faculty on board discussions that took place over the weekend by the Board of Trustees, including a decision on the memo, spokesman Phil de Haan said Saturday."

NEW BILERICO GUEST POST: What the GLAAD Network Report Means

MY NEWEST CONTRIBUTION TO BILERICO; PLEASE VISIT BILERICO.COM FOR THE ENTIRE POST! Yesterday, GLAAD released its Network Responsibility Index report for 2009, ranking the top broadcast and cable networks on their LGBT inclusivity in programming. ABC led the broadcast networks this year with depictions like Ugly Betty 's gay Ken-doll Marc, played by Michael Urie, among other depictions on other shows. HBO led the cable networks with shows like gay-created True Blood , No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency , and Big Love ; with over 42% of programming being LGBT inclusive. We're not surprised that there were so many cable networks that ranked high on the index; #2 Showtime's programming consisted of 24% LGBT-inclusive programming, #3 TNT dedicated 19% of its hours to LGBT-inclusive content, #4 MTV 17% (really, only 17?), and #5 Lifetime—the in-denial fourth gay network—had 14%. This was all while the Network's rankings topped out at ABC's 24% and went down from there to C

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