G'afternoon Kossacks,
Tomorrow, the United States House of Representatives will vote on the Matthew Shepard Act, also known as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913). This important Act would provide federal assistance to states, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes that are perpetrated because of homophobia. In other words, this Act would help to provide local law enforcement agencies with the needed money to investigate and deter hate crimes against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. This Act would amend pre-existing hate crime laws so that they would include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Below, you will see Matthew Shepard - the person for whom this Act is named. In October 1998, Shepard was tortured and killed by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson because Shepard was gay. McKinney and Henderson are now in jail. It's the hope of many people that this Act will deter further hate crimes. I've got a couple of resources below the fold, but most of all, We need your voice!
::
Read More