Passage of hate crimes bill marks milestone for LGBT Americans
By Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force - 10/23/09
This week marked a major milestone for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans, with the Senate’s passage of federal hate crimes legislation. The bill, which passed the House Oct. 8, now shifts to President Obama, who has vowed to sign it.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act will help protect people against violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, gender, national origin and disability by extending the federal hate crimes statute. It will provide critical federal resources to state and local agencies to equip local officers with the tools they need to prosecute hate crimes.
For years, opponents have waged a toxic misinformation campaign against this legislation because they would rather see anti-LGBT crimes go unaddressed than have the words 'sexual orientation' or 'gender identity' appear alongside other protected classes in federal law. Those days are now coming to an end.
With his signature, President Obama will usher in a new era — one in which hate-motivated violence against LGBT people will no longer be tolerated. Our country will finally take an unequivocal stand against the bigotry that too often leads to violence against LGBT people.
Passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is much welcomed and long overdue. We know that people are hungry for this type of positive change because they do not want to see their LGBT friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers subjected to violence, simply for being who they are.
Laws embody the values of our nation; when this critical legislation becomes law, our nation will — once and for all — send the unmistakable message that it rejects and condemns hate violence against its people.
We are on the cusp of a new, and better, chapter in America.
Learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force at www.thetaskforce.org.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 January 2010 14:07 |
