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Loading ...House passes inclusive hate crimes bill
04.29.2009 5:24pm EDT
(Washington) The House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law.
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act for the 21-year-old college student who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998, would provide local police and sheriff’s departments with federal resources to combat hate violence.“No one should face violence simply because of who they are,” said Judy Shepard, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “This bill is a critical step to erasing the hate that has devastated far too many families.”
Wednesday morning, just hours before the vote, President Obama urged Congress to pass the bill.
” I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance – legislation that will enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association,” the President said in a statement.
” I also urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and to take swift action.”
During debate on the bill, prior to the vote, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) alleged that it was a “hoax” that the slaying of Matthew Shepard’s had anything to do with him being gay.
“That young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery, it wasn’t because he was gay,” said Foxx.
The Senate version of the bill was filed this week by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). It still needs to go to committee before being voted on in the full Senate.
Gay rights groups have been fighting to have the legislation passed for over a decade.
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 was stripped out in conference.
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.
Go Keith!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/30488035#30488035
Keith Olbermann named this monster as his Worst Person in the World last night and launched into a glorious excoriation of her that rivals his commentary about Prop. He even noted that Judy Shepard was in the balcony as she was saying these lies. I hope you all have a chance to see his commentary.
It is wonderful news that this Hate Crimes Bill is finally moving towards passage and final sign off by the President. The difficult part though will be enforcement and re-educating people that hate crimes towards anyone, in this case towards sexual orientation, will no longer be tolerated and will be punishable under the law. It means too, going back to the very beginning of the problem and correcting it in the public school system where bullying, name calling, and gang mentality run rampant. It also means taking to task some of these religious extremists who incite and condone hatred that their actions are no longer acceptable and will not be tolerated. The fact of the matter is that when people are tortured or even killed because of the colour of their skin or because they love someone of the same sex, in a free democratic society this should not and must not exist.
“During debate on the bill, prior to the vote, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) alleged that it was a “hoax” that the slaying of Matthew Shepard’s had anything to do with him being gay.”
I challenge the sweet Representative from NC to look Matthew Sheppard’s mother straight in the eyes and say that to her! She would probably find herself slapped to the ground with the imprint of a hand on her cheek.
Assholes like this just don’t seem to understand why their party lost out in the last elections. Here’s hoping her ass is the next to waddle out of the exit door.
Ms. Foxx did not pull her comments from thin air. There is actually MSM ‘reporting’ to back them up. This is where she pulled her inane comments from:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/30/726222/-Rep.-Foxxs-Comments-DO-Have-a-Source.-Not-Pulled-From-Her-Ass…
In America, The Land of the Free, why is it still ok to scream “Kill ….!” about any person or group of people from the pulpit or in the mosque? I have heard the so called Christian preachers scream “Kill Gays!”
I can say just about all the SOUTHERN State Democrats are ASS*hoLez not worth a squat. Therefore if the Southern Dems are “conservative” you can IMAGINE what the Right Wing RELIGIOUS REPUBLICANS are like down in the south! and ya I know what I am talking about, Unfortunately I live in the Southern Hellhole Rectum of the country.
ONLY thing thats gonna change the Southern States is the Supreme Court and even then it will be cold day in hell before they accpept it!
RELIGION RULES THEM DOWN HERE! But thats ok they are Terrified the “ragheads” are gonna move in and take over. What they don’t realize is that, that’s exactly whats going to happen. How and why you ask. Because the US Constitution gives Islam and other religions same Freedoms….
Soon the southern Bible thumbers are gonna have to start eating their own feet or accept change (like Marriage Equality) that is not necessarily a “great thing” in their book or in the eyes of “Islam” and all that other crap!
Another words for those who can’t open their minds, it will be hmm. Maybe we better accept the homos or we’ll all be praying in Mosques soon!
It’s obvious who doesn’t like President Obama here. Roger, we know you are with the Log clogging Republicans. I’m glad that people are actually opening up their eyes, and finally seeing the true colors in our country. You may call him Homophobama, or whatever clever little saying pops into your demophobia mind. President Obama will be in charge of our country for the next four years. Get used to it, all of the fair minded people our sick of seeing replugnicans running our country into the ground.
The young will inherit our world, let’s give it back to them by doing the best we know how. We’ve lived the past eight years paying for wars that were in “daddy’s hurtful eyes”. The public isn’t following the republicans because they promote such hateful remarks to the innocent, or gay, or transgendered, or poor, or black or hispanic, or disabled. If you want people to truly follow your ways…then there has got to be some change.
It would be good to know the (HR??) number of the hate crimes bill and also to know if any demos were against it or if any repubs voted for it & who they were
longer prison sentences for criminals, no matter what the crime, is not the answer. as a queer person, I am against most hate crimes laws for this reason.
Rep. Foxx aside, I think it is great that this piece of legislation if FINALLY looking as if it will become law. This thing should have become law back when Matthew Shepard was killed…let us all remember to THANK Judy Shepard. Since her son’s death, she has gone around this country speaking on behalf of glbt rights. Now let’s hope the ENDA legislation gets passed this year as well!!!
;boh from nc,
My local news channel had a video of her along with the article. Here’s the link so you can watch her make herself look like a moron. Sounds not perfect but you get to hear most of her stupidity.
http://www.wxii12.com/politics/19326352/detail.html
I’m a registered Republican but man, I am glad to say that I did not vote for her! Of course that’s because I’m one of those seeminly few Republicans you hear about that is pro-choice and pro marriage equality. We are out there,trust me! Unfortunately it’s hard to hear us over the insane ramblings of the religious nutjobs that are holding the reins of the party.
why hasnet here been a video of her on the news saying that shit we should have that on logo news the country needs to know what kind of idiots are running this country. i cant belive she said that. the big bad virgina foxx
Don’t forget: 18 Republicans voted “Yes,” while 17 Democrats voted “No”
This bill will be just as effective as VAWA.