An Iowa couple has stepped forward with an editorial in the Des Moines Register and a video produced by the Iowa Family Policy Center, both claiming that their son was recruited by homosexuals and later died from AIDS because of it.

From the editorial:

The single most tragic event in our years together has been the untimely death of our oldest son, Randy. Our firstborn was a blessing that brought so much joy into our lives. He was extremely smart, he participated in extracurricular activities, graduated with many honors and went on to college. After college, he moved to Omaha and took a job. It was while he was living in Omaha that one of Randy’s co-workers recruited him into the homosexual “lifestyle.”

We loved our son as much as any parents have ever loved a son. Even when we became aware of his homosexuality, we assured him of our love. That is not to say that we condoned or accepted what we knew to be a dangerous “lifestyle,” but we always maintained our relationship with the son we had raised and the man we prayed would be delivered from homosexuality.

…

It was interesting to note that once Randy was diagnosed HIV positive, the homosexual community who had actively recruited him and had claimed to be his “family” were nowhere to be found. As his health declined, he spoke frankly about the homosexual experience. Randy said, “It is not an alternate lifestyle. It is a cult.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw9sKC7yZpE[/youtube]

While I can’t help but have sympathy for their loss, the notion their son was “recruited by homosexuals” is ridiculous, and eagerly await Randy’s friends to step forward and dispute the charge. I also feel sorry for them, allowing a group like the Iowa Family Policy Center  use them to further their own anti-gay agenda.

In a surprising move the New Hampshire Senate passed a gay marriage bill by a 13-11 margin, including some last minute additions to placate conservatives. From Reuters:

The last-minute changes to the legislation would allow clergy to decline to marry homosexual couples and give couples the freedom to either keep the words “bride” and “groom” on marriage licenses, or use the word “spouse” instead.

Because the Senate and House passed separate versions, they must resolve their differences before the bill can go to the governor, who in 2007 signed a law recognizing same-sex civil unions, making New Hampshire the fourth state to do so.

If the governor signs the bill New Hampshire will become the 5th state to allow same-sex couples to marry.

H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act, has just passed in the House of Representatives by a margin of 249 to 175. The bill would add hate crimes protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

Perhaps the most offensive moment of the proceedings (and there were many) came when Rep. Virginia Fox (R) of North Carolina said that Matthew Shepard was murdered because was gay… a hoax..

“The bill was 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 robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s, it’s really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWm2zGTZBM0[/youtube]

President Obama issued the following statement last night regarding hate crimes legislation which goes before the Congress today.

“This week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance – legislation that will enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association. I also urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and to take swift action.”

It’s not too late to to contact your congressman and urge passage of HR 1913.

Watch the proceedings live on C-Span today.

On Twitter follow the #fighthatenow hashtag.