Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Judy Shepard announced the introduction of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act as part of the Department of Defense Authorization Bill. Watch:

The legislation will be voted on later this week. Please contact your Senator and urge them to pass the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

On Capitol Hill today Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated that he supports NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s proposed legislation that would place an 18-month moratorium on discharging military personnel under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but wants to take it a step further.

“I would make it permanent,” he [Reid] added, suggesting that he would permanently suspend discharges. “We’re having trouble getting people into the military and I don’t think that we should turn down anybody that’s willing to fight for our country, certainly [not] based on sexual orientation.”

Reid’s comments gave a boost to an amendment that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is considering offering to the DOD legislation that would suspend investigations of soldiers suspected to be gay — thereby stopping discharges of soldiers under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy — until the end of the 111th Congress.

A spokesman for Gillibrand said Monday that the New York Democrat “wholeheartedly supports” full repeal of the military’s gay ban. “This is one avenue she would consider pursuing if there is sufficient support,” said Matt Canter.

Senator Reid’s remarks from his news conference today:

While LGBT groups generally support a moratorium, they consider it a “long shot,” as it would require 60 votes to pass during the next two weeks.

“We are encouraging Senator Gillibrand to explore her options and to reach out to the other senators in the process,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that lobbies for repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

…

The Human Rights Campaign signaled cautious support for the idea. “HRC believes that this temporary repeal amendment should only be offered and voted on if we are confident that there are sufficient votes to advance the issue of permanent repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” said HRC legislative director Allison Herwitt. “It is not yet clear that threshold can be achieved this week.”

Gillibrand’s legislation is expected to be introduced this week.

Former president Bill Clinton once described his position on gay marriage as evolving. Fast forward just over a month later, as reported in the Nation:

After speaking at the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington, DC, on July 8, the former president was asked if he supported same-sex marriage. Clinton, in a departure from past statements, replied in the affirmative.

Clinton opposed same-sex marriage during his presidency, and in 1996, he signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which limited federal recognition of marriage to one man and one woman. In May of this year, Clinton told a crowd at Toronto’s Convention Centre that his position on same-sex marriage was “evolving.”

Apparently, Clinton’s thinking has now further evolved. Asked if he would commit his support for same-sex marriage, Clinton responded, “I’m basically in support.”

Bill Clinton joins a number of other prominent Democrats supporting gay marriage, including former vice-president Al Gore, former governor Howard Dean, New York Senator Charles E. Schumer, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine and Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd.

Missing from the list is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has previously only affirmed her support for civil unions. Hopefully her position is evolving as well.

FedEx has agreed to extend employment protections to its transgendered employees, a change in policy that comes at the request of Northstar Asset Management, Inc., which filed a resolution seeking protection against any form of job discrimination based on gender identity. Julie Goodridge, CEO of NorthStar Asset Management, Inc. said that “FedEx responded with a desire to understand and incorporate such a policy.”

“Transgender people suffer the greatest amount of discrimination in the workforce and have little recourse due to the lack of protection under state and federal law,” Goodridge noted. “While it is unfortunate that the Federal government has yet to pass an inclusive Non-Discrimination Act that includes all people, thankfully there are U.S. corporations like FedEx who are determined to protect and value all of their workers…they are leading the way potentially years ahead of Capitol Hill.”

While it is a step forward for the company, earlier this year FedEx refused to extend domestic partner benefits to its employees citing the Defense of Marriage Act.