The Matthew Shepard Act

"Many people who think that this act should not be supported simply do not understand the full importance of preventing attacks based on sexual orientation or identity, and this most often stems from prejudices. It is hard for someone like me, with gay, bisexual, and transgender friends to turn on the news and see reports about men and women brutalized because of their sexuality. It is terrible to read the stories in the paper and think "That could have been my friend." It must be even worse being a possible target - the couple afraid to hold hands in public because they are both men or both women, the woman on the street who can't dress to reflect who she really is because she's biologically a man. These fears are made worse everyday we wake up knowing that the people who are so full of hatred for anything don't understand won't be properly prosicuted because attacking a homosexual or transgender person is not considered a hate crime. Something needs to be done about this. If we want to claim that our country hold up the law and supports justice, we need to prove it. Passing the Matthew Shepard Act will prove it."

This is from a letter I wrote to our senators in relation to the Matthew Shepard Act. Under current law, anti-GLBT crimes are not considered hate crimes. They are just another assult.

Any violent crime commited against another human being is a terrible tragedy. What makes a hate crime even worse is that it is designed to intimidate a whole community. Essentiality, it is an act of terrorism. As you have seen above, I have many friends who are impacted by this. I want to do everything in my ability to protect the people I love, and I strongly believe that the Matthew Shepard Act will help. While I am fully aware that by creating laws you don't prevent people from breaking them, because, obviously, criminals don't care where the line is drawn. They will cross it. But, as the law stands now, people commiting violent acts against people because of sexual orientation and identity are not properly prosicuted. Justice isn't served as it should be, and justice is a huge part of protection.

The man that this act is named after was a young, bright, homosexual man who was tied to a fence, beaten, and left for dead. He died from his injuried a couple of days later. Since then the movement to legally make anti-GBLT considered a hate crime has strengthened, and at last the act is on the table.

I strongly urge you to support the act by writing to your senators here: ttp://eqfed.org/campaign/MatthewShepardAct_njlgc

This is the Matthew Shepard Foundation home page: http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer