Conservatives and liberals alike are gearing up for this week's scheduled House vote on HR 1592 aka the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act aka The Matthew Shepard Act.

Simply put, the hate crimes bill will allow federal agents help local officials investigate racist, heterosexist violent crimes. If convicted, assailants could face harsher penalties, thus sending a judicial message: hate don't pay.

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We just love special messages from our fans, readers and assorted enemies, but we especially love notes from celebrities.

In the past we've received word from such greats as Owen Hawk and Cady Huffman, but never has such an iconic supernova of a star such as Cyndi Lauper ever thought of lobbing even the most mundane grunt in our direction. We almost pissed ourselves when we heard our favorite fun-loving girl say, "What's up everyone at Queerty..." She even remembered your name! "Everyone!" That's a top notch girl...

Ms. Lauper's made a moving image to give you the "heads up" about her forthcoming, HRC-endorsed True Colors Tour. If you want more information, just head on over the the True Colors Tour website, she says. Then she says, "Thank you" and nods humbly.

Oh, "Cyn" - we're all on a first syllable basis! - we should be thanking you! Thank you for all your pro-gay work, you're super radical music and, most of all, for knowing our name!!! (OMG!) We'd shed a tear if we weren't wearing so much eyeliner - oh, yeah, thank you for that, too.

(PS: "Cyn" forgot, but we're sure she'd like to say, "Sorry I didn't send you the embedding code. I was too busy she bopping." Then we'd say, "Whoa, Cyndi, we're totally friends and all, but we don't need to know your masturbation cycle.")

• Vacation's can be a refreshing experience. So can shopping. And there ain't no item more refreshing than a finely pressed white shirt. Yeah, they can get a little boring, but Refinery 29's got the skinny on Surface to Air's new "Vent" shirt. It's anything but...

• Talk about unmotherly love: Britain's Zara Care has lost custody of her two-year old son and three-year daughter children after forcing them to fight on camera. As the little boy punched his old sis, 21-year old Care repeatedly called him a "wimp" and a "bloody faggot". We call her a shitting shit mum.

• Scary Spice also trotted her tot in front of the camera, only these were for OK! Too bad Eddie Murphy couldn't make it, because the cover acts as a familial introduction. Or does it?

• Human Rights Campaign wants to make sure your trans coming out is a happy trans coming out.

• Robots! They're more common (and scarier) than you think.

• Kryptonite! Scientists have discovered a mineral resembling kryptonite. It's official. Reality's become a comic book.

In an attempt to prove his political chops, presidential hopeful John Edwards has released a list of 25 gay people who support his candidacy. Among the politically-minded 'mos, one will find legendary producer Darren Star, Garden State Equality's Jeff Gardner, as well as David Mixner, who worked for President Bill Clinton. With the list, Edwards also released a statement:

I am honored to have the support of so many well-respected LGBT leaders. They work hard every day to make our country a better place and I am proud to join with them to fight for equal rights for all Americans.

What's most intriguing about the lavender list is the amount of HRCers: no less than four current or former HRC members have signed on to support the former Senator. This comes as a bit of a surprise, especially considering that political rival Hillary Clinton recently appeared at an HRC dinner pledging her alliance with the group. Curious...

Cyndi Lauper's been all sorts of gay lately. As you know, she's teamed up with the homos over at Human Rights Campaign for the "True Colors" national tour.

In honor of said tour, MTVu - the music television's college network - has scheduled an interview with the iconic popster in which fans can ask Lauper some questions of their very own. The only problem is that they have yet to find the ideal interviewer. Do you think it's you? Well, check out these flack provided details and then decide:

Wanna have some fun with Cyndia Lauper? MtvU is in search of a college student in the NYC area to interview her on Friday, April 13th.

Think you have what it takes to interview one of the biggest stars of the early MTV Era? Has she inspired you to do something remarkable? Send an e-mail to castme@mtvu.com telling us all about it.

That's this Friday, aspiring homo-journos, so you'd better get crackin' - journalism's all about deadlines.

If you're selected, be sure to ask her about our recent Lauper-related post: Cyndi Lauper Sez, "Fuck You, Conservacunts!" Then report back to us pronto!

The Family Research Council sure does have a way with words. Though they like their members to be on the straight and narrow - straight being the operative word, of course - their take on hate crimes are anything but. In fact, they're quite tortuous.

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The Pink Pistols pose a political problem for many gays - and, in fact, conservatives. Though they have no technical mission statement, the gun-toting gays have liberal gun control their personal mission. Now, we're not talking Liberal with the politically-minded capital "L", we're talking liberal, as in the group wants to see more generous gun laws. As patriots, they aim for a nation where everyone can carry a gun for self-defense.

Their perhaps unfashionable stance make the Pink Pistols, like their politics, one of the most contentious gay groups in America.

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• Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney says he supports General Peter Pace, insisting: "I think people are entitled to believe what they want to believe, but what they say in their official and secular roles should be an expression of tolerance and respect for people regardless of our differences". Wait, isn't this the same man who participated in FRC's "Liberty Sunday"? Just checking. The former Massachusetts governor went on to remark on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': "When I first heard (of DADT), I thought it sounded silly and I just dismissed it and said, well, that can't possibly work. Well, I sure was wrong. It has worked". Did it? Or do we you just think it worked because you never saw what an openly gay person could do in the army? [San Francisco Chronicle]

• Garrison Keillor issued a response to the gag-a-rific uproar over his Salon article. [Public Radio]

• Indian trannie beauty queens! [DNA India]

• J-Hud's no diva. You better recognize, bitch. [TMZ]

• Counter-intuitive? A group of British gay activists are protesting anti-gay laws by going back in the closet. Yeah, that's right - they're going in the closet to show solidarity with people who can't be out of the closet. That's like going on a hunger strike to show solidarity with people who have solidarity or refusing to shower for people who don't have clean drinking water. [UK Gay News]

• HRC launches fresh campaign to fight hate crimes. [HRC]

• A Florida jail will now require HIV tests for all inmates. [Sun-Herald]

• Coke makes you pretty! Soft drink giant Coca-Cola and health drink company Lumaé have announced plans for a "beauty tea" for "active and image-conscious". [Telegraph]

• Mohamed al Fayed - the billionaire whose son, Dodi, died with Princess Diana on that infamous Paris night - has filed a lawsuit against British policing. He insists that Diana's claims of a hit on her life should have been included in their extensive, exhausting and excessively publicized report. This case will outlive us all. Especially Dodi and Diana.[HuffPo]

Gay activists have lauded Cyndi Lauper's recent announcement that she's touring on behalf of gay non-profit, Human Rights Campaign. Some gaycist politcos, however, aren't feeling so celebratory.

To celebration the "True Colors Tour", Lauper headed over to NBC's Today Show - an appearance of which conservative Brent Bazell's Media Research Center wrote:

Co-host Meredith Vieira played the publicist alongside her, asking her to explain how a dollar from every ticket goes to "something very important," that being the Human Rights Campaign. Not "something very liberal" or "something very pro-Hillary."

This reaction comes as no surprise, especially considering Lauper has taken a hard stand against America's conservatives. And, equally unsurprising, Lauper doesn't give a shit.

Homo-Journo Joey Hood broached the topic in a recent HX interview. Since the interview won't be appearing until June, Lauper's truly colorful replies will be long-dated and they've been axed by EIC Brandon Voss. Thus, Hood - with BV's ever-loving approval - thought he send the excised text our way. Check out what the iconic pop star has to say, after the jump.

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Conservative Reverend and president of the American Anglican Council, Canon David Anderson once said of openly gay Bishop, Gene Robinson, "His name will become synonymous with schism." While that may be true in the Anglican Church - which has been arguing over the place of gays in the international communion ever since Robinson's 2004 ascension - Robinson's hoping to bring the homos together.

In light of the recent Human Rights Campaign "scandals" (primarily, although not specifically, Andrew Sullivan's public and increasingly ugly war against the non-profit's practices), Robinson's come out in support of the movement, urging gay people to rally around the DC-based group.

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The war between Andrew Sullivan and Human Rights Campaign rages on. After calling HRC out on what he felt to be dubious membership practices -a transparency crusade which led to the organization's astonishing budget release - Sullivan's again taking the gay non-profit to task.

And HRC's fighting back.

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Maybe we should go into the non-profit business. After being skewered by Andrew Sullivan, Human Rights Campaign has released some of its spending records and, quite frankly, they're pretty astonishing.

For example, the nation's "largest" gay organization is spending a whopping $26.4 million on their new DC HQ, while former executive director, Cheryl Jacques, who quit in November 2004 after only eleven months on the job, received nearly $160,000 last year. So what gives? We can't say, because HRC finance VP Jim Rinefierd ain't talking.

He does explain, however, that the group helped finance their startlingly pricey home base with bridge loans and will also be charging other tenants rent.

Well, that's a relief!

(PS: Compare this picture to our picture of Hillary Clinton. Notice any similarities?)

HRC paid former leader $160,000 last year [Washington Blade]