The publisher is censoring a book that depicts a girl character with two moms because they consider it inappropriate for children, preventing it from appearing in its Scholastic Book Fairs. By censoring the book, Scholastic is sending the discriminatory and harmful message to children everywhere that same-sex relationships and gay/lesbian parents are wrong and should be hidden from sight.

Candidate for Virginia Attorney General: "Homosexual Acts Are Wrong" Ken Cuccinelli running for Attorney General in Virginia has declined to promise whether he would uphold the states nondiscrimination policy enforced by his republican predecessor.

Yesterday, President Barack Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention bill. The law was named for two men who were the victims of crimes due to their sexual orientation (Shepard) and race (Byrd). The law extended the hate crimes protections to sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability. It also removed the provision from existing laws that these protections are intended specifically for people who are engaged in activities that are considered Federal in nature such as attending school or going to court. In released statements following the signing, President Obama stated "This is the culmination of a struggle that has lasted more than a decade..." (video)

A public meeting yesterday discussed the possibility of a five-year deferral for gay and bisexual men donating blood, rather than a lifetime ban.

The meeting, held by the independent Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs, was part of a new review on the long list of people excluded for life due to the danger of blood-borne diseases between transmitted.

Currently, this includes men who have ever had sex with another man, people who have injected drugs, prostitutes and those who have ever had syphilis, hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

Temporary exclusions include those who have visited certain parts of the world, or have had sex with someone from certain parts of the world.

Yesterday's meeting heard that gay men who have not had sex with another man in the last five years could become eligible to donate blood.

Joy Behar had the misfortune recently of interviewing Joe the Plumber. Of course much of what he had to say was homophobic and ridiculous but he did make a point that often occurs in conservative conversation, which I believe is very much worthy of further conversation.

Freedom of speech is one of the most cherished ideals in America. Conservatives are often quick to invoke this right, when they spread their hatred and limited way of thinking. The love of free speech however, ends when it comes to a dissenting opinion. Wurzelbacher wants the right to his homophobic hate speech but it is a point of his heterosexual privilege that he refuses to believe that anyone should exercise their right to speak against his hate speech.

A doctor charged with illegally funneling drugs to Anna Nicole Smith wrote in a personal diary that he had to get off drugs himself and wondered if he was wrong to kiss Smith at a party four years ago.

The fo0llowing is a newsletter sent by Joe Solmonese, President of HRC

Today, something extraordinary happened. Love conquered hate. After more than a decade, the inclusive hate crimes bill we've fought so hard for has been signed by the president and sealed in law.

I cannot overstate the importance of this moment. This is the first time ANY federal equality measure protecting LGBT rights has become law. The very first time. And it is the first federal law to explicitly protect transgender people. It is a touchstone in our movement, a triumph of what is right. And I truly feel things will never be the same.

Hate crimes legislation was the first piece of creating a safe environment for LGBT people - prohibiting workplace and military discrimination are the next. When LGBT people live in fear of violence or discrimination, we cannot be who we are. And when we must hide our true selves, we cannot change hearts and minds.

It took twelve years, over one million emails, faxes and phone calls to Congress, and 14 separate votes on the floors of the House and the Senate to turn the hate crimes bill into law. Right-wing groups opposed us ferociously until the very end; they knew having a pro-LGBT law on the books would be a game-changer, and it is.

The new top federal prosecutor in Seattle knows the significance her role carries for many people: She's apparently the nation's first openly gay U.S. attorney.

Even when a religious denomination is trying to make right of a centuries-old wrong, you can count on some of its followers to run screaming in the opposite direction. Such is the case with the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, which is based in Charleston. The Diocese, which covers the southern and eastern half of the state, recently voted to not only oppose its mother church's decision to ordain gay priests and bless gay marriages, but also to cease participation in most of the national group's activities. It's a severing of ties but not quite a split, more like a protest against what the dissenting conservatives see as "assenting to actions deemed contrary to holy scripture...until such bodies show a willingness to repent of such actions."

About 100 witnesses testified on Monday before a D.C. city council committee on legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the nation's capital.