It took much
too long, more than a decade. And it came at too great a price: the brutal
killings of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. are just two among the
thousands of crimes motivated by hate and bigotry.
But this week,
the president put pen to paper and fulfilled a campaign promise, the signing of
the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, extending
the federal hate crimes statute to include sexual orientation and gender
identity along with race, religion, gender, national origin and disability. Our
deepest hope and strong belief is that this new law will save lives. Now,
lawmakers and the president have made an imperative statement to the country
and the world: Our nation will no longer tolerate hate-motivated violence
against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
We have worked long and hard for this and its passage is historic.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting
Program, there are nearly 8,000 hate crime-related incidents annually, and more
than 1,200 of those incidents involve violence based on sexual orientation or
gender identity. And even more alarming, while the overall occurrence of hate
crimes is declining nationally, hate crimes against LGBT people have been
increasing. This year alone, we saw hate crimes trials in the brutal killings
of two transgender women, Angie Zapata and Lateisha Green.
As a result of this legislation, if local
jurisdictions are unable or unwilling to investigate or prosecute hate crimes
based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Justice Department can now
step in. And that’s why the LGBT community never stopped working for this
historic day.
This legislation not only has practical value, but
is a symbol of our progress. It is the first time in the nation’s history that
Congress has passed explicit protections on the basis of sexual orientation and
gender identity. We could not have reached this moment without the powerful support
of our allies who stood with us every step of the way. We are deeply grateful
to civil rights, civic, faith and disability rights groups, as well as law
enforcement and district attorney organizations that worked side by side with
the LGBT advocates. We are equally thankful to Congress, President Obama and
members of his administration for passing and signing this bill into law.
While today we celebrate this marker of progress,
we must recognize it as only one of the building blocks to full equality and
demand that it be just a first step toward equal treatment under federal law in
all areas of our lives. And we must focus on the next step.
The passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd,
Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act provides us with an opportunity. We must use
this moment to educate and keep the momentum going so that we can continue to
make progress on the local, state and federal levels. Yes, legislation takes a
long time — often years of work. Yet, our community is on the cusp of passing much-needed
protections.
This week, we call upon lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people, families and allies to take this opportunity of increased
media and public attention on hate crimes to educate co-workers, classmates,
neighbors, family members and friends about our lives, and about why we need
not only their friendship and love, but their vocal support for a more just and
equal America for LGBT people. If your members of Congress voted in support of
hate crimes legislation, call them and thank them. Then ask them to be there
for us again when the vote turns to workplace nondiscrimination, military
service and partnership rights.
With your help and our collective pressure,
equality is within reach.
When talking about the need for hate crimes
legislation, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: “The time for debate is over.”
She was right.
Just as the time has finally come for stronger
hate crime protections, it is also time to pass an inclusive Employment
Non-Discrimination Act, repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the so-called
Defense of Marriage Act, and ensure that health care, economic policy and
immigration reform incorporate the needs of LGBT people.
The time for debate is over.
Signed by:
Jo Kenny, AFL-CIO Pride at Work
Terry Stone, Centerlink: The Community of LGBT
Centers
Gabe Javier, Consortium of Higher Education LGBT
Resource Professionals
Marianne Duddy-Burke, DignityUSA
Toni Broaddus, Equality Federation
Jennifer Chrisler, Family Equality Council
Evan Wolfson, Freedom to Marry
Lee Swislow, Gay & Lesbian Advocates &
Defenders
Rebecca Allison, M.D., Gay & Lesbian Medical
Association
Chuck Wolfe, Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Eliza Byard, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education
Network
Marjorie Hill, Gay Men’s Health Crisis
Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign
Rachel Tiven, Immigration Equality
Earl Fowlkes, International Federation of Black
Prides
Kevin M. Cathcart, Lambda Legal
Leslie Calman, Mautner Project: The National
Lesbian Health Organization
Sharon Lettman, National Black Justice Coalition
Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Mara Keisling, National Center for Transgender
Equality
Justin Nelson, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber
of Commerce
Rea Carey, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Paul Kawata, National Minority AIDS Council
Kyle Bailey, National Stonewall Democrats
Greg Varnum, National Youth Advocacy Coalition
Sharon Stapel, New York Anti-Violence Project
Jody Michael Huckaby, PFLAG National
Aubrey Sarvis, Servicemembers Legal Defense
Network
Michael Adams, Services and Advocacy for GLBT
Elders (SAGE)