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Senate Passes Hate-Crimes Measure


HATE CRIMES MATTHEW SHEPARD CAPITOL SENATE X390 (FAIR USE AND PHOTOS.COM) | ADVOCATE.COM

The Senate voted 68 to 29 Thursday to pass a Defense Department funding bill that includes a measure extending hate-crimes protections to people targeted on the basis of their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.

The National Defense Authorization Act now goes to President Barack Obama’s desk for his signature.

“As the President said back in April, the hate-crimes bill takes on an important civil rights issue to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association. He looks forward to signing it into law,” said White House spokesman Shin Inouye.

The late senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts originally introduced the legislation in 1997 during the 105th Congress. The bill was renamed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in honor of Shepard, a 21-year-old gay man from Wyoming, and James Byrd, a 49-year-old African-American man from Texas, both of whom were brutally murdered in 1998.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, today's vote was the 14th and final floor vote taken on the measure. HRC president Joe Solmonese said the more than decade-long struggle to enact the legislation had almost come to completion.

“We’re in the home stretch,” said Solmonese. “We look forward to President Obama signing it into law; our nation’s first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”

Along with expanding the protected groups, the legislation will provide extra resources to state and local law enforcement officials, give the U.S. Justice Department the power to investigate hate crimes that local officials decline to pursue, and direct the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track hate crimes committed against transgender individuals -- statistics the FBI already keeps for other groups.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said including hate crimes within the defense authorization bill was perfectly logical.

"It is highly appropriate for this law to be part of the National Defense Authorization Act," he said. "The values our men and women fight for include tolerance and freedom from hate-inspired violence against our citizens. Indeed, hate crimes represent a dangerous variety of domestic terrorism while our troops fight terrorism overseas.”


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Reader Comments
  • Name: LGBT Christian
    Date posted: 10/28/2009 3:14:44 PM
    Hometown: TX

    Comment:

    P.S. I also know of folks in the clergy that are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered, and the churches are ok with that too, although not all denominations.

  • Name: LGBT Christian
    Date posted: 10/28/2009 3:09:21 PM
    Hometown: TX

    Comment:

    To the person who stated... "Reverends, Fathers, Preachers , don't stop spewing the" LOVE OF GOD" on those that "choose" to be heterosexual while condemning those who "choose " to be homosexual," I just want you to know that there are Christians out there who are not only embracing the GLBT community, but are members of it. There are even those in the clergy that do so as well. Not all Christians are homophobic, not all preachers only love heterosexuals. The God that I know loves all, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, GLBT community members, and any race under the sun. I know this is not an opinion that the majority of Christians you will come across will have, but I just wanted to let you and other people out there know that there are religious groups who are accepting and embracing of all humanity, because it is not through any of our actions, our heritage or our genetics that we are loved.

  • Name: PePa
    Date posted: 10/23/2009 5:16:49 PM
    Hometown: california

    Comment:

    First, yes Obama will sign the bill it is to be expected. Second, this bill will do NOTHING to protect us from gay bashing. Criminals and thugs will always continue to break the laws, no matter what it is. Third, embrace the second amendment - If Matthew Sheppard was packing a weapon on that cold fateful night he would be alive today. This law will only further an already complacent community to further depend on bureaucrats instead on the ability to arm and protect our lives and property from aggression.

  • Name: Roger
    Date posted: 10/23/2009 3:26:59 PM
    Hometown: NYC

    Comment:

    Stephen, quite spreading lies. Obama never said he would veto the bill and you know it. He has consistently said he would sign it. Only morons like you believe otherwise

  • Name: Hurry! Last chance to beat or murder LGBT citizens and get a free pass
    Date posted: 10/23/2009 10:26:33 AM
    Hometown: U.S. or God's Country

    Comment:

    Hurry! Hurry! Homophobes don't miss your last chance to beat,rob,rape,kill... those " GOD DAMNED" gays. Reverends, Fathers, Preachers , don't stop spewing the" LOVE OF GOD" on those that "choose" to be heterosexual while condemning those who "choose " to be homosexual. Remember that you are qualified by your God to be the judge of all of mankind.

  • Name: stephen
    Date posted: 10/23/2009 7:31:18 AM
    Hometown: fairfield

    Comment:

    Didn't Obama promise to veto this if it was attached to the Defense Bill? I have not read anywhere that he has changed his stance on the veto.

  • Name: Jester
    Date posted: 10/22/2009 9:15:17 PM
    Hometown: California

    Comment:

    Unlike race, gender, or sexual orientation, religion is a choice.

  • Name: Nathan
    Date posted: 10/22/2009 8:42:09 PM
    Hometown: Franklin

    Comment:

    This is an amazing victory one which gives me hope for a much grander tomorrow.

  • Name: Steve P
    Date posted: 10/22/2009 8:22:33 PM
    Hometown: Hartford

    Comment:

    Current Hate Crimes Laws already include protections from crimes committed against an individual based on his or her religion.

  • Name: John Smith
    Date posted: 10/22/2009 7:41:52 PM
    Hometown: Boston

    Comment:

    Should this legislation also be extended to religious groups?



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