Hate Crime Bill waiting for President Obama to sign
This week, Congress took one of its most significant stands yet to support LGBT Americans. On Thursday, the Senate voted 68 to 29 to approve the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010. That defense funding bill included language that would add federal penalties for attacks on gays and lesbians. The bill, known as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, was named for two hate crime victims whose 1988 deaths brought a greater awareness of hate crimes to Americans. Shepard was a gay University of Wyoming student who was brutally murdered, and Byrd was a black man who was dragged to death behind a pickup truck in an east Texas town.
Shepard's family founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation which helped lobby for the measure to extend the current definition of federal hate crimes -- which covers attacks motivated by race, color, religion or national origin -- to include those based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The bill also makes it a federal crime to attack U.S. military personnel because of their service.
To see how your U.S. Senators voted, click here.
We encourage Atticus supporters to send a letter of thanks to those Senators who voted "yes" to protect our LGBT friends and family members. To send an email to your Senator:
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