Have you heard that the hate crimes bill is coming before Congress again?

I hope you’ll join me in sending a message to Congress: we can’t wait any longer for a federal law to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans from violent hate crimes. Take action at:

http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/pass_shepard

Ordinary people are living in fear for their safety and their lives every day, in small towns and big cities. Hate crimes against LGBT people are on the rise, but the federal government has no direct authority to investigate, prosecute or help local law enforcement crack down.

We can’t let this continue. We can’t let friends and neighbors become targets for violence simply because of who they are.

Congress passed the hate crimes bill in 2007, but because of George Bush’s veto threat, it never became law. And now, right-wing extremists are once again making outrageous claims that the bill would criminalize preachers, end free speech, and so on.

Will you help make sure their lies aren’t the only things members of Congress are hearing about this bill? Please click below to send a note urging Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard Act.

http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/pass_shepard

Thanks for your help – we support the Matthew Shepard Act!

It’s been ten years since Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked for being gay, and still our federal law fails to protect against hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Last year both houses of Congress passed a hate crimes bill known as the Matthew Shepard Act, but the law never made it to President Bush’s desk because of his veto threat.

I hope you’ll join me in sending a message to John McCain and Barack Obama: we can’t wait any longer for federal hate crimes legislation to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans.

The life and death of Matthew Shepard changed the way we talk about and deal with hate in the United States. It has been 10 years since Matthew’s needless death from hate violence. This tragedy helped the nation wake up to the fact that hate and discrimination still live in our communities, our schools and our families.

To read how you can help: http://www.hrc.org/fighthatecrimes/

Eighteen years ago, Talana Kreeger was brutally sexually assaulted and murdered in a vicious hate crime here. The painful memory of that tragic event has been held in silence in this Coastal community — until now.

Community members gathered into a packed sanctuary at St. Jude’s Metropolitan Community Church on Feb. 22 to remember and celebrate Kreeger’s life. They came to express the need to answer the questions of why Talana Kreeger was murdered and why the community had been silent about such a brutal and passionate crime of hate.

“I have been out for 12 years so if a person who knew me wanted to hurt me they wouldn’t write “u r gay” on my car. It’s like stating the obvious like you have brown eyes, or you are 5 foot 4 inches tall or you have freckles, or to put it in terms a straight person could understand it’s like putting “u r straight” on someone’s car who is fully OK with being heterosexual, as I am with being homosexual.”

- Erin Davies, discussing with us about how a hate crime has inspired her to bring visibility to the hate crime she experienced because she’s gay.