America's House of Representatives votes on the hate crimes bill today. In anticipation of the event, Judy Shepard, whose murdered son Matthew has become a martyr in the fight for equal protection, has penned an op-ed pushing for the bill's passage.

Taking on conservatives, such as FRC, who argue the bill will restrict their religious thought, Shepard writes:

Congressional offices all across Washington are being flooded with phone calls opposing the legislation because political organizations on the ultra-right have been lying to their members, and telling them that this legislation would punish religious people for anti-gay speech -- dubbing this a "thought crimes bill."

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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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It's been nearly ten years since Matthew Shepard's senseless murder. Now, it seems that some good will finally come from the crime that shocked the nation. American lawmakers are set to reintroduce the ever-controversial federal hate crime bill, which has been renamed after the slain 21-year old.

The bill's been making the Washington rounds for nearly as long as Shepard's been dead, but came up against fierce opposition. The Democrats' big win in November, however, may help tip the scale in favor of justice. Lawmakers also hope that by adding Shepard's name, they'll also be able to add a face and, hopefully, garner some sympathy for a law many conservatives fear will impede their religious rights.

Family Research Council has come out against what they erroneously call the "thought crimes law". Shephard's mother, Judy, however, insists the law will not hinder anyone's religious expression and serves as the best memorial for her son:

I can't think of a better way to honor Matthew's memory. He was a 21-year-old college student just living his life. This act is about the prosecution of crime, not prohibition of speech. Unless they believe part of their religion is the practice of violence against others, they should not be affected by this bill.

Shepard's Name on Hate Crimes Bill [Washington Post]

American Airlines has long been on the forefront of protecting LGBT rights being the first major U.S. airline to include its transgender employees in its antidiscrimination policy, and also the first airline to launch a vacations website especially for LGBT travelers.

Now it's celebrating Gay Pride Month, which it is kicking off tomorrow night with an evening with Judy Shepard (mother of Matthew Shepard). You can read it about it and also the AA employee benefits on the (somewhat busted) GLBT employee website, GLEAM.

American Airlines and American Eagle Employees Celebrate Gay Pride Month [GLEAM via Pam's House Blend]

Queerty’s resident philosophers have been pondering the question of God’s sexual orientation. While some assert that God had a son, and allege that as proof of his heterosexuality, others are waiting to see the DNA test results. Furthermore, this past Saturday evening in a backroom in Roxy, a tweaked out club kid having sex claimed to have seen God.

Was God really at the Roxy this past Saturday? He wasn’t seen any place else, which lends credibility to the sighting. Of course, there is no law stating that a straight dude can’t go to the Roxy on a Saturday, though you’d swear there were.

Yet Queerty has more evidence that God is a weenie-craving homo. His creation of the earth led directly to the production of Broadway musicals. And he provided Cuisinarts to facilitate our lovely dinner parties. So Queerty has a message for all those bigoted Baptists who say that a play about Matthew Shepard is “spitting in God’s face;” don’t worry, we’ve already cleaned God up with a Neutrogena facial cloth, and his complexion is go-on-a-date perfect. If you don’t already know the joke about the nun and the bus driver, go here.

• A Socialite's Life has pictures of the kind of love nest a syndicated daytime talk show and a role on Arrested Development get you in LA.

• Judy Shepard's speech in Montana went off without a hitch yesterday. No protests, no hating, no explosives. And, get this, it was actually inspirational.

• RuPaul is writing a new movie "packed with lots of gratuitous sex and violence, and of course oodles of glamour." Throw in a trannie or two and we're there.

• Walgreens is sponsoring the upcoming Gay Games and that isn't sitting well with a certain group of Chicago area Christians. They're thinking of boycotting its stores. We didn't think Christian conservatives shopped anywhere other than Wal-Mart.

• The recent Asian quake has left thousands of Pakistani kids orphaned. Which means only one thing. Angelina Jolie has ordered her jet to turn around mid-air, and will be parachuting in to scoop up children momentarily.

• A new survey lets the cat out of the bag over homo TV habits. Gay men are all aflutter over A&E and Bravo and dykes love their HBO and ESPN.

• Matthew Shepard's mom is speaking at a college in Montana and the entire campus is all worked up. But these party poopers are celebrating with protests and bomb threats. Welcome to Unabomber country.

• Still no lessons learned from Matt's senseless murder. Another homophobic attack left a London man dead this past weekend.

• A gay editor at the Village Voice (redundant, we know) is suing the publication for sexual harassment. The man alleges lewd jokes were made involving "gay men, lesbians, a Vietnamese worker, and a pregnant employee." Wait. Now we need to know the first part of the joke. We think it might be "A Vietnamese worker, a pregnant employee, and a lesbian walk into a bar to bitch slap a completely humorless gay editor?" Hysterical.

• Andy Towle has some shots from GQ of lusty teen NHLer Sidney Crosby. We like what we see. Drool over him now before he ends the season bruised and toothless.

• Happy birthday to our celluloid-loving faggy brothers and sisters in Seattle. The city's gay and lesbian film festival is 10 years old but thanks to makeup and good lighting doesn't look a day over 5.