Judy Shepard Leads Gay Activists At United Nations Calling For End To Homophobic Bullying And Violence, Same Sex Marriage Proponents And Opponents Square Off Outside Scottish Parliament, United Kingdom Home Office Announces Longer Sentence For Murderers Of Transgender Persons, Transgender Victim Of Infamous McDonalds Attack Charged With Disorderly Conduct, Andrew Garfield, Evan Lysacek

Activists called on governments around the world to end homophobic bullying and violence, saying Thursday that gay rights are human rights that must be respected by all. The Associated Press reports that Judy Shepard, the mother of a young man murdered in an anti-gay crime in the U.S. in 1998, told the United Nations gathering that people with different sexual identities and orientations are all human beings with similar aspirations. Anti-gay violence “is hate, it is ignorance to single out a group of people,” said Shepard, who with her husband founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation after their son was killed. Rights activists from Lebanon, Nigeria and Thailand joined several senior U.N. officials on the panel organized by the Netherlands in advance of International Human Rights Day. Saturday marks the 63rd anniversary of the U.N.-sponsored International Declaration of Human Rights. U.N. members, with their diverse religious and cultural sensibilities, are often deeply divided over the issue of gay rights. The U.N. undersecretary-general for human rights, Ivan Simonovic, told the gathering that education and information are needed to end anti-gay violence. Simonovic said a new U.N. study on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, to be released in the coming weeks, should help. “The fact that a report of this kind is being published is in itself a sign of progress at the United Nations,” he said. “I hope it will provide a basis for constructive dialogue.” Simonovic read a statement by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said he continues to be “dismayed” by homophobic bullying, noting that some young victims of the practice can become depressed, drop out of school or even commit suicide. Ban said all countries have a legal obligation to protect people from violence and discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation. “This is a moral outrage, a grave violation of human rights and a public health crisis,” the U.N. chief said. “It is also a loss for the entire human family when promising lives are cut short.”

Supporters of same sex marriage have been met by a noisy counter-demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament. Members of the Humanist Society had gathered at Holyrood the day before a Scottish Government consultation on the issue closes. But they were at times drowned out by religious supporters of the institution of marriage, according to the United Kingdom Press Association. Ross Wright, of the Humanist Society, addressed the demonstration which included people dressed in white wedding dresses. He said, "Quite simply, marriage should be a free choice: free for all couples and free for the celebrant to choose whether they are happy to officiate. Marriage is important. Love does not discriminate and a concept of modern marriage for Scotland is the sensible and reasonable way forward." Wright's society argues that marriage will be strengthened by allowing "more loving couples" access to its social status. But as he spoke, one minister began preaching over a loud speaker. The two sides, separated by police lines, then began to try to shout over each other. The humanists were told to read the Bible, while they in turn branded their opponents homophobes. Donald Morrison, a Free Kirk elder from Inverness who organised the counter-rally, said, "It is not for the Scottish Government to change marriage. This is non-negotiable. We will never bless same-sex marriage. The foundation of marriage is already in place. It's God's law." The Scottish Government launched a consultation in September asking if marriage in Scotland should be allowed for gay people through a civil or religious ceremony. Same sex couples can currently enter a civil partnership which carries full legal rights but the ceremony cannot be conducted in a church or other religious premises. The Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church in Scotland are opposed to the government proposals. Equal Marriage campaigners have handed over 18,000 responses to the government's consultation which ends on Friday.

The United Kingdom Home Office has announced longer jail sentences for murders motivated by hostility to a transgender person. The starting point used by the judge to set the tariff - or minimum term - will double from 15 to 30 years. Ministers say an amendment will be added to the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill. The Ministry of Justice later confirmed that the 30-year minimum would also apply for murders motivated by hatred towards a disabled person, reports the BBC. Justice Secretary Ken Clarke said, "Hate crimes are abhorrent, they leave sections of society living in fear and at risk of unprovoked violence. "These proposals make clear offenders should be in no doubt that they face a more severe sentence for these unacceptable crimes." In September this year Leon Fyle, 23, was jailed for life for the murder of Destiny Lauren, a pre-operative transgender person who worked as a prostitute. Fyle, who was convicted after a retrial, was given a 21-year tariff. There are no specific figures for violence or hostility towards trans people but it is believed to be on the increase. The murder of Ms Lauren, who had been born Justin Samuels, was one of a number of recent murders of transgender people. The government had launched a strategy in England and Wales to drive out transgender prejudice. On Thursday the Home Office launched the first ever national strategy to promote transgender equality. Unveiling the plan on YouTube, Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone said: "It's an important step, but I recognise that government can only go so far. "So we will be working with schools, businesses and communities so that together, we can drive change and help consign transphobia to the past." April Ashley, who became the first person to undergo sex-change surgery in Britain in 1960, said, "There are so many support groups out there, unlike when I did my transition 52 years ago when there was no help at all. Today's announcement shows we are moving forward to breaking down barriers and educating people." The Gender Identity Research and Education Society welcomed the plan: "It contains a welcome range of commitments from major government departments to improve the lives of trans people.”Trans people recognise that there is much more to do and will continue their productive relationship with the government."

The 23-year-old transgendered woman whose videotaped beating in a Rosedale McDonald's went viral over the Internet is facing a disorderly conduct charge after an argument with a police officer in Baltimore County. Chrissy Lee Polis, free on $7,500 bail, faces a trial in District Court in February. She did not return calls to a phone number listed in court documents, according to The Baltimore Sun. A Baltimore County police officer arrested Polis at her Essex apartment on December 3, alleging in court charging documents that she became disorderly and shouted obscenities when she became dissatisfied with the way he handled her complaint. Polis had called police saying that her Chocolate brand purse, cell phone and $800 in cash had been taken in a robbery. Polis was charged as Christopher Lee Polis. Baltimore County's top prosecutor and a county police spokeswoman confirmed that the suspect is the same person who was assaulted at the McDonald's in April after she tried to use the woman's bathroom. That case attracted national attention and prompted changes in hate crime statutes in jurisdictions across Maryland. On Monday, the Howard County Council toughened its hate crime laws as part of a law proposed after the Polis case. A 19-year-old woman pleaded guilty to assault and a hate crime count for beating Polis at the McDonald's and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with all but five years suspended. A 14-year-old girl was found responsible in juvenile court. The latest incident occurred December 3 near Polis' Essex apartment. Polis told the officer that she was walking home and attacked outside her apartment building by a man wearing a black and white striped hooded sweatshirt. She told police the man hit her in the head with an unknown object and stole her purse. But the officer taking the report said Polis "gave several different variations of his recollection of the events" and "became very agitated." The officer wrote in charging documents that Polis screamed profanities and disrupted the neighbourhood. The officer said Polis let him into her apartment, which he described as having a mattress but no furniture. In the court documents, the officer stated that one neighbour saw a man in a black and white striped hooded sweatshirt knocking on Polis' door, but that she did not open it. Several other neighbours said they did not hear an attack or screaming. Polis told the officer that "as the robbery was occurring [she] was screaming and even chased the suspect," according to the report. Charging documents say that Polis became agitated again and "was causing a major disturbance in the neighbourhood and would not lower his voice even though I was continually advising him to do so. ... [she] continued to scream, 'You don't know who I am. I will have you fired ..." Detective Cathy Batton, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Police Department, said this morning that detectives are investigating Polis' complaint of being robbed.

Andrew Garfield hangs by a wire.

Evan Lysacek spotted skating at Rockefeller Center Thursday in tights.