On the same day that yet another New England state, New Hampshire, inched closer to allowing same-sex marriage, a representative from another state, North Carolina, reminded us of the ugly bigotry that still pervades our great country. Rep. Virgina Foxx took to the floor of the House of Representatives during a debate on the expansion of hate crimes legislation and said the following: "The hate crimes bill that's called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. This--the bill was named for him, hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills." Not only were her statements patently untrue, and not only was her use of the term "we" a glaring reminder of how and why the Republican brand has become synonymous with intolerance and ill-conceived rhetoric, but Foxx performed her obscene, cruel and pathetically out-of-touch diatribe in front Shepard's mother, Judy Shepard. The perpetrators of the "very unfortunate incident" of Shepard's brutal murder admitted that they killed the gay 21-year-old in 1998 because he was homosexual, and for that they were sentenced to life in prison without parole. As Salon's Joan Walsh said on Hardball with Chris Matthews last night: It's Rep. Foxx that's the hoax.

Sometimes it's impossible to satirize something that is as inherently ridiculous as the National Organization for Marriage's anti-gay marriage ad, which warns of the dangers of gay marriage supporters who wish to take things "further," and promotes a "rainbow coalition" that wishes to protect the sacred institution of marriage...

...but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't try! And Stephen Colbert certainly did. Check out his scathing parody of the ad:

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The Colbert Coalition's Anti-Gay Marriage Ad
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With New York governor David Paterson announcing a bill to legalize gay marriage in his state this week, and former John McCain strategist Steve Schmidt planning to deliver a pro-gay marriage address to Log Cabin Republicans, the storm isn't just coming. It's here.

The recent moves by Iowa's Supreme Court and Vermont's legislature to allow same-sex unions sparked an acquaintance of mine to post the following Facebook status: "[I have] no feelings on the spate of gay marriage developments. It is an issue of luxury salient only for an exercise in rhetorical flourish." For him, marriage is some distant frontier, less prescient than the health care crisis, the economy, and the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit discrimination of employees based on sexual orientation. But while he prefers not to celebrate what is, for him, simply an abstraction (the issues of hospital visitation, inheritance, and the various other rights enjoyed by legally married couples seemed lost on him), the recent moves by Iowa and Vermont, the first state to pass legislation legalizing same-sex unions, symbolize two steps forward in the fight for civil rights following the crushing blow of the passage of Proposition 8 in California last fall. The recent developments have renewed the debate in the Golden State. Gay marriage supporters are hoping the Iowa Supreme Court's ruling will set a prescedent that might lead to the California courts overruling the ballot initiative that passed with 52 percent with overwhelming support of the Mormon Church last November. The California Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage last May led to the passage of Prop 8 and was also cited by the Iowa court in their recent decision. States may be sovereign, but the recent developments prove that what happens in one state can, and does, affect the entire nation. And of course, the oppression of one group is the oppression of all.

Yesterday, former President Bill Clinton introduced the premiere of MTV's new feature film Pedro, a biopic about Pedro Zamora, one of The Real World's most memorable cast members. In his Reuters blog entry "Pedro's Story Still Relevant Today" yesterday, Clinton commented on Zamora's impact: "For the first time, viewers saw an openly gay, HIV-positive young person on national television. As we followed his story each week, Pedro humanized the growing epidemic, reducing our ignorance and fears and increasing our determination to act. By living bravely and allowing MTV to show his story, Pedro set an extraordinary example of what a tremendous impact a single person can make in our world."

MTV used the latest season of its flagship reality series to screen Pedro for preview audiences last fall. The cast of The Real World: Brooklyn, the season finale of which also aired last night, helped organize and promote a screening at New York's Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. One of the cast members on the Brooklyn installment of the series was Katelynn, a 24-year-old, recently post-op transgendered woman from West Palm Beach, Florida who piqued the interest of her housemates, including a straight Iraq War veteran who quizzically referred to her as "it." MTV isn't the powerful medium is once was, but The Real World's producers are evidently still interested in breaking new ground and helping to expand viewers' awareness. Katelynn's evolution, from dealing with her deadbeat boyfriend back home to coping with how and when to come out to new people she meets, has given her an opportunity to be an advocate in the same way Pedro was more than a decade ago.

Both Pedro and The Real World: Brooklyn are both airing on MTV now, so check your local listings!

Former presidential nominee and Massachusetts State Senator John Kerry has been a long-time supporter of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which earned a mainstream press endorsement by The Washington Post last week, and now the outspoken Democrat has taken on the challenge of trying to overturn a federal judge's decision to send Genesio "Junior" Oliveira back to Brazil after the man was denied asylum. (Read Kerry's statement on the issue at The Huffington Post.) Oliveira claims he was raped by a Brazilian doctor, and despite the country's anti-discrimination laws, violence against gays and lesbians continues at an alarming rate, including 186 murders last year. Oliveira is married to Tim Coco, and Kerry is pressuring Attorney General Eric Holder to overrule Immigration Judge Francis Cramer's rejection of Oliveira's plea for asylum. Coco has made it a personal crusade to change U.S. law so that gay couples can sponsor their partners for permanent immigration. It's an issue that our friends over at Immigration Equality have been courageously working on, and one that's close to our hearts.

Jamie Durrant, Xbox 360 designer and long-time friend of Big Queer, has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for £45,000 (approximately $66,000) for discrimination based on his sexual orientation. The software giant bought the U.K. company for which Durrant works, Lionhead Studios, two years ago. Durrant claims he began receiving harassing emails over a year ago and that his complaints to the company's human resources department were "blatantly disregarded." He agreed to refrain from filing a formal grievance and was told that a memo would be sent to Lionhead employees reminding them to "behave responsibly," but no such memo was issued and a message with the title "Fag Boy Jim" was posted in the office kitchen.

Durrant was offered counseling and was asked to sign a document agreeing not to pursue any further action against the company, but he rightfully declined. BQ reached out to Durrant to find out if he or his attorney has a copy of the proposed agreement, but he declined to comment on the issue or make any other on-the-record statements due to the pending suit. Durrant has been on sick leave due to depression and is seeking payment for lost pay and, according to the U.K. press, "hurt feelings." (We took issue with the references to our friend's "hurt feelings," but apparently "injury to feelings" is a legitimate legal complaint on the other side of the pond.)

As for Microsoft, the company has a history of providing domestic partnership benefits and has included sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination policies, though its lack of support for Workplace Fairness legislation was an issue in 2005. BQ will post more information as it becomes available.