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(Annapolis, Maryland) The Maryland House passed
legislation Thursday that would add sexuality and gender identity to the categories
of people protected under the state's hate crimes law.
The legislation now moves to the Senate.
While Maryland has had a hate crimes statute on
the books since 1988, current law only covers crimes motivated by race,
religion, and national origin.
If approved by the Senate and signed by the
governor Maryland would become the 30th state to include protections for the
LGBT community.
"Enacting the Hate Crimes Penalties Act into
law is a very important step in improving the daily lives of those who are at
risk for hate violence," said Dr. Dana Beyer of Equality Maryland which has
fought for years to get the legislation.
"This will have a profound ripple effect,
educating Maryland's population about who we are, and specifically helping
to make the legal and law enforcement communities cognizant of the special risks
we face every day," Beyer said.
Sexual orientation-based bias crime is now the
second highest category of hate crime offenses in the United States, according
to FBI statistics from 2003. In Maryland, there were a total of 248
bias-motivated criminal incidents reported for 2003. Sexual orientation bias
accounted for 20.
“The passage of this bill
means that all of the people that didn’t have a voice before will hopefully
have one now - and feel safer in their communities,” said Owen Smith, who
testified before the Judiciary Committee about his personal experiences being
attacked because of his sexuality.
Maryland lawmakers are also
considering a bill that would establish a limited domestic partner registry and
give its members the authority to make medical decisions for each other. The
legislation received preliminary approval in the Senate this week. (story)
©365Gay.com 2005
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