Sigh.  PittGirl.  She gets all the cool guys.  Eric Heyl reads her blog AND sends her email.  And uses queering as a verb. 

I was all sad and sighy for a few moments.  No one from the Trib reads this blog and I make relentless references to them.  Sigh. 

However, not all is lost for the lesbians can count both Chris Potter and John McIntire as one of us.  At least sometimes, when they aren't out crusading for truth, justice and the top 100 synonyms for boobs.  Wait, that's just McIntire. 

I wonder if Mike Seate reads gay blogs as often as he frequents gay bars?  Hmmmm.

You aren't that surprised are you? 

The Trib's editorial board clicked their heels and jumped into line with the right wingnuts clamoring about the House of Representative's extension of federal hate crime protections to the LGBT community.  It passed 237 to 180 while a companion bill works its way through the Senate.  W, of course, is going to veto it. 

Here's what the Trib has to say about it:

So, if somebody shoots dead a homosexual -- actual or perceived -- he would face the added hate-crime offense as opposed to someone who shoots to death a heterosexual.

Did the shooter hate the heterosexual less?

"H.R. 1592 would further carve out 'tiers' of victims, putting more importance on crimes committed against a Rosie O'Donnell than against her next-door neighbor," the Family Research Council reports.

They neglect to point out that shooting someone because they are gay happens a lot more frequently than the equally terrible crime of shooting someone because they are heterosexual.  Its not the fact that a homosexual has been shot, you idiots; it is that they've been short BECAUSE they are homosexual.

The truth is that wingnuts are freaking out because they won't be so free to spew their inciteful hatred in the guise of free speech.  They claim their thoughts wll be censored, but that's patently untrue.  They will just be held responsible for violence based on intolerance. 

The Trib doesn't fail to play the fear-mongering card ...

From capital crimes to organized religion, the adherents of hate-crimes legislation don't seem to know where to stop. A Catholic city official in Canada, for example, got slapped with a $1,000 fine for suggesting a gay couple's lifestyle was not "normal."

Again, not quite accurate.  I feel like daveyoe what with all this fact checking and n'at.  The Canadian city official was opposed to a gay pride proclamation, but took it a step further by denouncing homosexuality as unnatural and abnormal.  That's inappropriate behavior for an elected official and, apparently, a violation of Canadian Human Rights ordinances.  However, the nutters spin it as a suppression of DeCicco's Catholic beliefs. 

They should relax because the worst DeCicco would face in the US is a short stint in rehab and an appearance on Oprah.  While he might be unelected, he'd get puh-lenty of $$ on the wingnut speaking circuit and be personally annointed by Big Daddy Dobson.  Not too shabby for a little dude from Kaloomps, British Columbia.

Seriously, those of you who are white and heterosexual, take a moment to think of the many ways in which you can express your identity without repercussion.  I have to think very carefully about holding Ledcat's hand in public.  I can not kiss her good-bye 99% of the time.  We can't enjoy the simplest display of public affection without some qualm because of the very real possibility that we will encounter hostility.  The majority of the time its merely dirty looks and muttering.  But you never know.  You have to be careful.  I love Ledcat too much to expose her to potential violence just for the pleasure of holding her hand while we walk down the street. 

Violence against gays is a very real issue in our society, much of it driven by hate rhetoric dripping from the fervored wingnuts and their merry minions of faith.  I believe their speech is protected.  Parry if you must, but be careful not to thrust.