Hate Crimes Bill Passed!!

I just got an email from the Human Rights Campaign tonight. Here's what it said:

"Dear Rose,

The hate crimes bill has passed through Congress!

I have some amazing news: after a Senate vote today, the inclusive hate crimes bill has crossed its last hurdle in Congress! President Obama has vowed to sign it by the end of this month.

Today's victory marks a truly pivotal moment in our fight for LGBT equality. It happened because of the dedication of people like you and the families of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., for whom the bill is named.

And with bills seeking to end workplace and military discrimination coming up for debate in Congress, today's victory could be just the first of many if we can keep up our momentum.

But even as we celebrate this amazing news, we're already getting a sense of the fight we'll have to wage to keep our momentum going.

Courageous lawmakers are continuing to hear from right-wing groups falsely claiming their vote will end free speech, criminalize anti-gay thoughts, and open the door to jailing pastors for their sermons.

One recent right-wing article said passing this bill would "shred America's Judeo-Christian value system."

That's what we're up against.

It's clear that we can't afford to sit back and hope for the best.

But we've proved today that if we continue to fight with the passion and persistence that paved the way for today's hate crimes victory – we can fulfill the promise of this moment, despite our anti-equality opposition.

I hope you'll take one moment today to celebrate this turning point and send your message of support for the families whose dedication helped pass this law:

http://www.LoveConquersHate.org

Thank you again for everything you've done to help make this possible.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President"

The bill that he is talking about is a recent act called the "Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act". The act is all about expaning the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

The bill would also:

* remove the current prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally-protected activity, like voting or going to school;
* give federal authorities greater ability to engage in hate crimes investigations that local authorities choose not to pursue;
* provide $10 million in funding for 2008 and 2009 to help state and local agencies pay for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes;
* require the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to track statistics on hate crimes against transgender people (statistics for the other groups are already tracked).

I personally would like to add that our Michigan Representatives in the senate voted yes. :D

The act passed today, October 22nd, and only has to wait for Obama to sign it. Let us all cross our fingers in hope.