President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hates Prevention Act during a White House signing ceremony on Wednesday.The legislation expands the definition of federal hate crimes to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
The act makes it a federal crime to assault someone because of their sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. It is named for the victims of two horrific crimes in 1998: Matthew Shepard, a gay teenager from Wyoming who was beaten to death; and James Byrd. Jr., a black man from Texas who was tied to a pick-up track and dragged to death.(AP)
1 comment:
Sad that one has to sign a bill into place because of these two heinous crimes!!!!
However, at least it has been signed. Kudos to President Obama.
Post a Comment