Coalition urges swift passage of hate crimes bill

The momentum around pro-LGBT legislation is truly staggering. The hate crimes legislation is up for debate in the House and there is a broad coalition supporting it. 365gay is reporting:

(Washington) The US House is expected to vote this week on legislation to add sexual orientation to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law.

The bill was marked up last week by the House Judiciary Committee.

A wide coalition of national civil rights, human rights, and faith communities is calling for swift approval of the bill. Among the groups is the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

“Violence against people because of who they are, where they worship, or the color of their skin, is the antithesis of what we stand for as a nation. Hatred that leads to violence is a matter of fundamental concern to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and its 200-member coalition and we are unified in our support of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act,” said Wade Henderson, president of the LCCR.

“The right to be protected and to be safe and free from physical harm or intimidation is the most fundamental of civil and human rights. We urge Congress to quickly pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, legislation that will enhance protections against hate crimes and give local police departments the resources they need to crack down on hate motivated violence,” said Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP.

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Judy Shepard Video as Congress Takes up Hate Crimes Legislation

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – released a video today as part of the effort to pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA) featuring Judy Shepard whose son Matthew was murdered in 1998 because he was gay.

“It’s been ten years since Judy Shepard lost her son Matthew and this video is a painful reminder that the federal government does not have the resources it needs to assist in prosecuting these horrific acts,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Since Matthew’s murder, tens of thousands of Americans have been victims of hate violence and it’s time to give local law enforcement the tools to combat this scourge.”

Tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will mark up the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA), also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. The bill would give the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence by providing the department with jurisdiction over crimes of violence where the victim is chosen because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

The video profiles the stories of hate crimes victims who were targeted because of who they are. They include:

· Angie Zapata who on a summer night in Greeley, Colorado, was bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher because she was transgender.

· Billy Ray Johnson a mentally disabled man from Texas who was taken to a party, ridiculed, knocked unconscious, and then dumped by the side of the road.

· Luis Ramirez who while walking home to his family in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, was beaten him to death by a group of young men yelling racial and ethnic epithets.

· Ryan Skipper of Eloise, Florida, who was robbed, driven to a dirt road and stabbed more than twenty times because he was gay.

· Sean Kennedy, a South Carolina man who died after he was assaulted by a man yelling anti-gay slurs. The state has no hate crime law and his attacker was sentenced to three years in prison.

Third Gay Elected to Congress

365gay.com is reporting that the third gay representative has been elected to Congress:

(Washington) Colorado Democrat Jared Polis will become the third openly gay member of Congress when he is sworn in in January.

Polis, a 33-year-old entrepreneur who made millions creating Internet-based businesses, beat Republican Scott Starin to represent the 2nd District , which includes his hometown of Boulder.

He will join fellow Democrats Barney Frank (Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (Wisc.) in the House.

There have been at least five other gays and lesbians in Congress, including currently serving Reps. Frank and Baldwin. Frank came out while in Congress. Baldwin was open about her sexuality when first elected.

Frank and Baldwin had little difficulty Tuesday winning re-election.

Polis’ 2nd District is firmly Democratic, but he took no chances and ran a strong campaign, putting much of his own money into the run. He also had the support of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Previously, Polis was elected statewide to the Colorado State Board of Education from 2001 - 2007. During that time he served a term as vice-chairman and one as chairman.

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