Hate crime prevention act passes in Congress
By: Tiffany Neal
Issue date: 10/26/09 Section: News
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that expanded the civil rights-era hate crime law, making it a federal crime to physically assault an individual based on their sexual orientation.
The bill is named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Shepard. Matthew was a homosexual Wyoming student who died after being kidnapped and brutally beaten in 1998. Byrd was a black man from Jasper, Texas who was dragged to death that same year.
"The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is significant on many levels, but at the base of everything, this act finally extends the basic human right of safety from hate-based acts of violence to a segment of the population that is often subjected to bias on the individual and community level," said Lowell Kane, GLBT Resource Center Program coordinator.
After years of being defeated in Congress, the hate crimes bill was attached to a $680 billion defense authorization bill to assure passage. The bill now needs the signature of President Obama - who has already pledged his signature - to become a law.
In recent months, the Obama administration has come under fire by gay and civil rights activists alike for what they consider is the president dragging his heels when it comes to fulfilling the promises he made while on the campaign trail.
"The passing of the bill doesn't say much about Obama's commitment to gay rights, but it does say that he is listening to what people are concerned about, and at the end of the day, right is right and it is not right to murder anyone under any circumstance," said Autumn Gardner, a senior kinesiology major.
Texas has a hate crime statue that increases the penalties for crimes motivated by a victim's sexual preference. The new bill will not change the way state and local officials investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
The bill broadens the range of actions that can get the federal government involved if the Justice Department certifies that a state is unwilling or unable to follow through on an alleged hate crime.
The bill is named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Shepard. Matthew was a homosexual Wyoming student who died after being kidnapped and brutally beaten in 1998. Byrd was a black man from Jasper, Texas who was dragged to death that same year.
"The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is significant on many levels, but at the base of everything, this act finally extends the basic human right of safety from hate-based acts of violence to a segment of the population that is often subjected to bias on the individual and community level," said Lowell Kane, GLBT Resource Center Program coordinator.
After years of being defeated in Congress, the hate crimes bill was attached to a $680 billion defense authorization bill to assure passage. The bill now needs the signature of President Obama - who has already pledged his signature - to become a law.
In recent months, the Obama administration has come under fire by gay and civil rights activists alike for what they consider is the president dragging his heels when it comes to fulfilling the promises he made while on the campaign trail.
"The passing of the bill doesn't say much about Obama's commitment to gay rights, but it does say that he is listening to what people are concerned about, and at the end of the day, right is right and it is not right to murder anyone under any circumstance," said Autumn Gardner, a senior kinesiology major.
Texas has a hate crime statue that increases the penalties for crimes motivated by a victim's sexual preference. The new bill will not change the way state and local officials investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
The bill broadens the range of actions that can get the federal government involved if the Justice Department certifies that a state is unwilling or unable to follow through on an alleged hate crime.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com