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transVictory on Federal Hate Crimes Legislation!
23 October 2009
Dear friends,
It's incredible.
Yesterday, the Senate passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a major piece of national civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender Americans. The Act broadens the definition of federal hate crimes to include those motivated by a victim's gender identity or sexual orientation. It gives victims the same federal safeguards already afforded to people who are attacked because of their race, colour, religion or national origin.
Now that the bill has passed both the House and the Senate, it's on to President Obama for his signature. He has promised to sign the bill into law.
This is huge. Our supporters have spoken out, written letters to elected officials, and signed petitions demanding hate crime protections for our community. Your efforts have paid off in a big way.
We've spent countless hours working to educate the public about the urgent need for LGBT-inclusive hate crimes legislation. When I spoke with Carmella Etienne -- who was the victim of a hate-motivated attack in Queens this past summer -- she was overjoyed at the news that federal protections were on the way. When I spoke with Roxanne Green, the mother of slain Transgender woman Lateisha Green, she was ecstatic to hear the news. The thought that all she and her family had endured, committing themselves to speaking out about anti-LGBT hate violence when they just wanted to curl up and make the pain of their loss go away, was overwhelming. That the passage of the bill comes near the one year anniversary of Teish's death made the news that much more meaningful to her.
Hate-motivated violence doesn't just target an individual. It targets an entire community, and it's meant to make us fearful on the streets where we live, work, and socialise. It undermines the promise of equality, and it affects us all on a deeply personal level. There are days when the many stories of hate violence make me so mad I could spit nails. There are other days when it all just makes me want to cry. But today, I feel a sense of
hope. Justice is on the way.
You can spin a globe, drop your finger down on it, and be pretty well assured that it will land on a spot in the world where LGBT people are targeted for hate violence, and where the government either turns a blind eye to that violence, or actively encourages and even participates in it. To have our government - finally - say that things must be different and that it will use all of the resources at its disposal to combat the hate violence that LGBT people still face on a daily basis sends a powerful message to Americans and to the world.
Yesterday, we took a huge step forward on the road to equal rights. There's still so much to be done, but with your continued support, we will put an end to violence and discrimination directed at people simply because they live openly and honestly as who they are.
Thank you for everything you've done to help make this moment a reality. Let's savour it.
Very best wishes,
Michael Silverman
Executive Director
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression, and to achieving equality for Transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, community organising and public policy efforts.
Know someone who might be interested in our work? Forward this!
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund
151 W 19TH ST STE 1103
NEW YORK NY 10011
23 October 2009
Dear friends,
It's incredible.
Yesterday, the Senate passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a major piece of national civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and Transgender Americans. The Act broadens the definition of federal hate crimes to include those motivated by a victim's gender identity or sexual orientation. It gives victims the same federal safeguards already afforded to people who are attacked because of their race, colour, religion or national origin.
Now that the bill has passed both the House and the Senate, it's on to President Obama for his signature. He has promised to sign the bill into law.
This is huge. Our supporters have spoken out, written letters to elected officials, and signed petitions demanding hate crime protections for our community. Your efforts have paid off in a big way.
We've spent countless hours working to educate the public about the urgent need for LGBT-inclusive hate crimes legislation. When I spoke with Carmella Etienne -- who was the victim of a hate-motivated attack in Queens this past summer -- she was overjoyed at the news that federal protections were on the way. When I spoke with Roxanne Green, the mother of slain Transgender woman Lateisha Green, she was ecstatic to hear the news. The thought that all she and her family had endured, committing themselves to speaking out about anti-LGBT hate violence when they just wanted to curl up and make the pain of their loss go away, was overwhelming. That the passage of the bill comes near the one year anniversary of Teish's death made the news that much more meaningful to her.
Hate-motivated violence doesn't just target an individual. It targets an entire community, and it's meant to make us fearful on the streets where we live, work, and socialise. It undermines the promise of equality, and it affects us all on a deeply personal level. There are days when the many stories of hate violence make me so mad I could spit nails. There are other days when it all just makes me want to cry. But today, I feel a sense of
hope. Justice is on the way.
You can spin a globe, drop your finger down on it, and be pretty well assured that it will land on a spot in the world where LGBT people are targeted for hate violence, and where the government either turns a blind eye to that violence, or actively encourages and even participates in it. To have our government - finally - say that things must be different and that it will use all of the resources at its disposal to combat the hate violence that LGBT people still face on a daily basis sends a powerful message to Americans and to the world.
Yesterday, we took a huge step forward on the road to equal rights. There's still so much to be done, but with your continued support, we will put an end to violence and discrimination directed at people simply because they live openly and honestly as who they are.
Thank you for everything you've done to help make this moment a reality. Let's savour it.
Very best wishes,
Michael Silverman
Executive Director
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression, and to achieving equality for Transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, community organising and public policy efforts.
Know someone who might be interested in our work? Forward this!
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund
151 W 19TH ST STE 1103
NEW YORK NY 10011
