HRC Blog

Good afternoon, The hate crimes bill was successfully passed out of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday and may be on the House floor for a vote as early as next week.   Keep the story of Angie Zapata and Matthew Shepard in your minds when you think about this bill. Remember them and honor them by helping to pass this overdue legislation. In Colorado, a harrowing chapter in the lives of Angie Zapata’s family and friends closed when a jury found her killer guilty of first-degree murder and a hate crime. But their heartbreak will last a lifetime. Angie’s killer was brought to justice, but with staggering frequency, those who murder transgender people get away with their vile deeds. Like the person who killed Duanna Johnson in Memphis, Tennessee last November. Her murderer left her on the street after fatally shooting her. No one has ever been arrested for the slaying. Check in with HRC Back Story  and FightHateNow.org every day for updates on the status of the hate crimes bill and actions you can take to keep it moving toward the president’s desk for signature. Judy Shepard has continued her leadership on this issue by speaking out in an online video. It’s been more than 10 years since Judy lost her son Matthew, and she reminds us that the work to combat hate is unfinished.  Visit EndtheLies.org  and fight back against the distortion and mistruths the right-wing continues to use to derail our progress. Twitter users, use the #FightHateNow hashtag to track up-to-the-minute updates on the hate crimes bill and add your own observations. Call your representatives in Congress and urge them to vote for the hate crimes bill. On Tuesday of next week, HRC and our coalition partners will sponsor a National Call-in Day. Call the capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and speak up for victims of hate violence who can no longer speak for themselves. Additionally this week, the nation grappled with the horrific suicides of two 11-year-old children, both of whom had been relentlessly bullied and teased with anti-gay epithets. The parallel tragedies of the suicides of Carl and Jaheem continue to paint a vivid picture of needs unmet. They illustrate that children for whom school has become abusive and unsafe are crying out for a changed educational environment where they can learn and thrive. And they show that young bullies, without intervention, can become seriously dangerous—and could even take a life. We simply can’t sit back and let another child follow the same terrible path. In light of the truly devastating suicides, the HRC Foundation pushed up its release of “An Introduction to Welcoming Schools,”  a guide aimed at equipping school administrators, classroom teachers, and all other school personnel with knowledge and skills to address bias-based bullying, and to create environments where all students feel safe and affirmed. “Welcoming Schools” will help schools reduce tensions and teach children to respect differences and not belittle them. Please take a moment to learn more about this critical program by visiting www.welcomingschools.org. Real lives are at stake. Join our fight today. In solidarity,