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Loading ...House votes on hate crimes bill
04.29.2009 8:51am EDT
(Washington) The US House is scheduled to vote today on legislation to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law.
A parallel bill was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday.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 provides 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.
A wide coalition of national organizations has called for the passage of the legislation. Some of those organizations supporting this legislation include the National Sheriffs Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, 26 state Attorneys General and the National District Attorneys Association.
“After more than a decade of delay and tens of thousands of additional victims, now is the time for this critical piece of legislation to be signed into law,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
Priest903..If I went to a site where I see two people kissing, of the opposite sex, is there a problem? No,then why a problem with two people of the same sex kissing? More than a little hypocrisy here, Priest903. Don’t you think it time to rid yourself of the homophobic bigotry I see in your words. Such homophobia and bigotry runs rampant thoughout our religious communities. Hardly followers of the Master Jesus, who emcompassed ALL people.
Please I urge all of you to email your House of Reps and Senators today. I know I did last week. It felt good to even send my voice out. I pray that this bill pass. If you only know how much FBI agents really want to see this pass too. The only can follow what is made law.
priest903, give it a rest. Your old tired argument does nothing for you or your cause. All it does is make us all question your real motives for coming to this website. You are disturbed by the sight of gays kissing because you are in the closet and too scared to be who you are. I am sure that you turned to “the teachings of Jesus” in order to combat your feelings. Jesus taught us to love other and thyself. Start loving yourself you moron.
Priest903: Your just a homophone, and keep your religion out of gay people’s lives
Hey everybody, don’t worry about Priest903. He is not a priest at all but a troll. I found his profile on a troll site called Habbo.
Trolls are people who say something offensive and controversial just to push people’s hot buttons to get a flame war started against them. I’m a furry and we have a rule on our forum sites that work. DON’T FEED THE TROLLS
It is really about time on this Bill.
Thank you George Bush for delaying it.
Priest903:
In some countries strait men kiss each other on the cheek. Does this shock you also? Culture vs. Commandments here.
Tom in Long Beach.
priest 903; get a life!
So Priest do you consider the biblical stories of Ruth and Naomi, Jonathan and David and Jesus healing the Centurion’s lover to be in your face. Or do you just pretend that they are not about Gay relationships.
@Priest – you state “how can we teach the works of jesus and the will of god if the world is teaching otherwise”…ummm lets see, your imaginary Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are “Love god, Love thy neighbor”…do you see a problem with your attitude by not supporting leg. that disuades hate? My husband and I kiss every day in front of our two daughters – what it is showing them is that we love each other, are happy, and are a family – just like any other and that it makes no difference that there are two men (or two women) as the parents who love their children, care for them, and support them. This past week we saw the application of the hate crimes law in CO for the first time applied when a trans teen was brutally murdered, the hate crime law will keep this vile human from hurting others and allow love to flurish and hopefully send a powerfull message. Where is the problem that you speak of?
So Priest are the stories in the bible of Ruth and Naomi, Jonathan and David and Jesus healing the Centurion’s lover in your face. Or do you pretend that they are not about gay relationships.
priest903: two men kissing on a website is not pushing anything in your face. If you don’t like it, don’t click it on. If you can’t teach the works of Jesus and the word of God because there are homosexuals (who continue to be naturally born and normal and start as kids who deserve equal respect and equal rights )God created us all, then it’s you that has the problem….it’s called homophobia, bigotry and ignorance about the works of the Lord. Ever hear of “live and let live?” and all men are created equal?.
Priest903 – you came to a site called 365gay…did you expect to see a straight couple kissing? Plus, those are dating site advertisements and people just happen to kiss on date. And why is THAT the “problem”? Are you saying that the sight of 2 men kissing is the reason for these hate crimes?
Also, was a child sitting next to you when you visited 365gay, Priest? (Ah, the irony.) It is not being forced upon you or into children’s lives if you visit a gay site. You visited it.
Love your neighbor as yourself, Priest. That is what this bill is about. Support the bill. That is what Jesus would do.
In order “to see this bill pass by a wide margin with no debate,” we, in the LGBT Community along with our supporters and friends must get on the “horn” TODAY and call our US Reps. in DC and urge them to support and vote for this bill!
i got on the site to read this bill n a picture of two guys kissing popped up. do you see the problem here? this is exactly why we are having these problems. it just keeps getting pushed in our faces and into our childrens lives. how can we teach the works of jesus and the will of god if the world is teaching otherwise. also, why would the government have an advertisement on this website
I would like to see this pass by a wide margin with no debate. That will actually show some advances we have made. 10 years ago this was a toxic subject to give approval to, but a wide margin of victory will show that we are beginning to be respected as a class of society that is long overdue for some kind of justice.