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Loading ...House committee takes up hate crimes bill
04.21.2009 12:10pm EDT
(Washington) Legislation to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law will be taken up Wednesday by the House Judiciary Committee.
It is expected the bill will be marked up and be sent to the full House for a vote, possibly before the end of the month.The bill was introduced with bipartisan support by Reps. John Conyers (D-MI) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). In addition to LGBT rights groups, the bill has the support of more than 300 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations.
Gay rights groups have been fighting to have the legislation passed for over a decade.
Because there is no federal law mandating states and municipalities to report hate crimes, they are often under-reported. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s own statistics, based on voluntary reporting, show that since 1991 over 100,000 hate crime offenses have been reported to the FBI, with 7,624 reported in 2007, the FBI’s most recent reporting period.
Violent crimes based on sexual orientation constituted 16.6 percent of all hate crimes in 2007, with 1,265 reported for the year. In addition, while not captured in the federal statistics, transgender Americans too often live in fear of violence.
The legislation gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias motivated violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
It would provide the Justice Department with the ability to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of violent crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury that were motivated by bias.
It also makes grants available to state and local communities to combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers, or to assist in state and local investigations and prosecutions of bias motivated crimes.
President Obama has said that if the bill is passed he would sign it.
The legislation passed the House in 2007, but President Bush threatened to veto it if it passed in the Senate.
In an effort to get around a veto, the Senate version was tied to the 2008 defense authorization bill. It passed but then went to conference, where it was stripped out.
Isn’t every crime a hate crime? In the case that isn’t the situation… ok.
But at least isn’t every violent act towards a woman a hate crime?
When a man beats his wife, isn’t that a hate crime? Rape?
Will there be special circumstances for the century long abuses women deal with everyday? Or is it just for gay men? Trans?
Where there is money giving to task forces for sensitivity training, will they teach male officers to be sensitive to females who are abused by men?
Granted, that’s supposedly the case now, however we all know this isn’t how victims are treated daily.
Yes, every crime is a hate crime, but this bill will add sexual identity and orientation to the list of those protected by the law. Up to now, all other groups except lgbt have been protected.
See new video by Judy Shepard here. So very, very sad, and we haven’t even helped her yet!
youtube.com/watch?v=y1JiN4IcyvA
If you want to be a help not just whine, go here to sign petition to send to your congressmen,… and call them too.
gayrights.change.org/actions/view/urge_congress_to_pass_hate_crimes_laws_protecting_sexual_orientation_and_gender_identity
Be a help. Help all the families and people who have and will suffer from this.
Even in common sense.As was stated before here.All men, straight gay bisexual.Are not protected from rape, in any way.This issue is totally ignored just everywhere.
No. Every crime is NOT a hate crime. Robbery is not a hate crime; it is merely an attempt to get money. What makes a hate crime a distinct category is that, by targeting a member of an identifiable group, AS A MEMBER OF THAT GROUP, it becomes a crime not just against that specific individual, but, implicitly, an attempt to intimidate all other members of that group.
I challenge fellow Canadians to do as I have and access the Human Rights Campaign site and send a message of support for this bill. Our own Conservatives and right wing religious groups want to roll back our hate speech laws and supporting a strong hate crimes law in the United States is one way we will show our government (and all governments) that hate speech is not free speech– and definitely not consistent with governments’ “law and order” agendae. “An injury to one is an injury to all”
OK. Good idea Wayne.
And Quackers Wild-Man is laying an EGG. So are the rest of the professional haters. They’re scared $hitless that they’re going to be held accountable for the results of their hate-speech.
As well they should be.
Their hands and their bibles are covered with blood.
Ours.
The difference between a hate crime and another crime in the case of assault or murder is that these crimes are intended to harm an entire community by spreading fear and intimidation. In that sense, hate crimes are just like terrorism. With terrorism, we also punish not only the crime (for example, attempted murder), but also the intend to terrorize.
Hope this passes, I survived a hate crime, I know what it feels like to be stabbed, and to hear my own bones break. The police were called, but did not start their investigation till the next afternoon. That was in the mid 90s. I hear the hate speach every day at work cause my boss listens to AFR radio.