HRC Blog

Good afternoon, Another amazing week.  On Wednesday, the U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act, by a vote of 249 to 175.   But this was not an easy victory to pull off.   Over the past several weeks, I’ve warned that our opponents would pull out all the stops to sabotage the bill.  Those working against us used every opportunity – from committee consideration to the House floor – to try to stop this legislation from passing. Examples of just how far anti-gay lawmakers went during the House floor debate -- Rep. Steve King (R-IA), warned that the bill would impose "tyranny," create a "Big Brother" government, and end religious freedom.  Rep Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said, “I feel that this hate crime legislation could be considered the very definition of tyranny.”  Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said, “You think a pregnant mother does not deserve the protection of a homosexual? You think a military member doesn't deserve the protection of a transvestite?”  And, if that’s not bad enough, we saw them sink to new lows in their spiteful challenges to this overdue legislation.   While managing the floor debate for those opposed to the bill, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said that Matthew Shepard’s murder “wasn’t because he was gay. The bill was named for him … but it’s really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.”  HRC immediately condemned Rep. Foxx’s statements.   Now, we turn our attention to the Senate. A bipartisan coalition of Senators led by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the Matthew Shepard Act earlier this week. If the opposition in the House is any indication, we’re in for a serious fight in the Senate.   On the same day that hate crimes passed the House, the New Hampshire State Senate approved marriage equality legislation, which had already passed through the lower chamber. Meanwhile, continuing the forward motion of marriage equality right now, the Maine State Senate advanced a marriage bill, sending it to the State House.   We are unquestionably moving in the right direction. Still, at every turn, our opponents try to use the mantle of religion to stop our progress.  What they don’t understand is that, increasingly, leaders and people of faith stand for equality. Next week, more than 300 faith leaders from across the nation will come to Washington for the 2009 Clergy Call for Justice and Equality, which will be held on May 4th and 5th.   Two years ago, HRC's Religion and Faith Program brought clergy from every state in the country—many from isolated and hostile communities—to Washington to support their LGBT brothers and sisters.   This time, the stakes are even higher.   Clergy Call participants will urge members of Congress to take swift action on hate crimes legislation and send it to the President’s desk. They will tell stories of ordinary people of faith who have come to understand the importance of standing in solidarity with the LGBT community.   In addition to lobbying activities and a press conference on Capitol Hill, Clergy Call attendees will take part in a robust conference on the issues confronting LGBT Americans.  Finally, clergy and other people of faith will participate in an interfaith celebration reflecting on the abundant diversity of our community.   Before I end today, I want to thank all of you who called your members of Congress and urged them to pass the bill during our National Call-In Days. That was an invaluable contribution to our work. Please consider calling them again to thank them for their votes.   Please stay tuned and continue to check FightHateNow.org to learn about other actions you can take to finally pass the Matthew Shepard Act.   Warmly,