A gay Savannah, Georgia man was beaten unconscious and left with a bruised brain by two off-duty Marines who said 26-year-old Kieran Daly winked at them after a conversation with them at a downtown Savannah nightspot. 22-year-old Keil Joseph Cronauer (top photo) and 23-year-old Christopher Charles Stanzel were arrested minutes after fleeing the scene of the early-morning beating. So far, Cronauer and Stanzel have only been charged with misdemeanor battery, but community activists in Atlanta and Savannah have requested assistance from the FBI and are meeting with the local District Attorney about upgrading the charges.

“This is just the most recent example of violence that occurs on our streets as a result of people being just who they are,” [Equality Georgia board member Kevin] Clark says. “It is just laughable that an attack as brutal as this could be that it could be classified as a misdemeanor. It is a felony. It is absurd that professional people could label this attack as a misdemeanor. That is the root of my deepest anger.”

The FBI has said they are investigating the case as a possible hate crime, as Georgia has no hate crimes statute of its own.

Elsewhere…

D.C. – The FDA upholds its ban on blood donations by gay and bisexual men. (San Diego Gay and Lesbian News)

Puerto Rico – After a string of brutal and grisly hate crimes against LGBT people, the Puerto Rican Attorney General has empaneled a special committee to document the extent of the violence – put by some as 25 in the last eight years – in the hopes of pressuring the government to put a 2002 hate crimes law into effect. (The Miami Herald)

Ohio – “Jesus Lightening! Go, Jesus Lightening!” (Towleroad)

Florida – After Clear Channel rejected one out of four images for its upcoming marketing campaign (showing two men shoulder-to-shoulder, superimposed over the text “My Family is Fun”), St Petersburg Pride has canceled the entire campaign. (Towleroad)

New York – LGBT youth protest New York City’s decision to slash its contribution shelters for homeless LGBT youth, saying it’s putting many homeless youth at risk from a rising tide of hate crimes in the city. (WCBSTV.com)

Iowa – The Iowa Family Policy Center, an evangelical group, says it’s withholding its endorsement from the main Republican candidate in the state governor’s race, because his campaign is focusing on economic issues, and is not trying to convince all of Iowa that gay zombies are coming to eat everyone’s marriage certificates. (The Chicago Tribune)

England – A gay rights campaigner receives an almost-knighthood for her work from one of the more conservative figures in English politics – the Queen. (Pink Paper)

Canada – Hate crimes jump in Canada, especially in Vancouver. (The Toronto Star)