About Hate Crimes
"Matt is no longer with us today because the men who killed him learned to hate. Somehow and somewhere they received the message that the lives of gay people are not as worthy of respect, dignity and honor as the lives of other people."
– Judy Shepard, HRC board member and mother of Matthew Shepard, slain University of Wyoming student
On May 3, 2007, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act was approved as a stand-alone bill by a bipartisan vote of 237 to 180. The Matthew Shepard Act was added by the U.S. Senate as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Authorization bill on September 27, 2007. The amendment passed by a voice vote after passing a procedural hurdle known as "cloture" by a bipartisan vote of 60-39. The House passed its version of the Department of Ddefense bill this past summer and the two must now be reconciled in a process known as a "conference committee." The members of the conference committee, known as "conferees," have not yet been appointed. Once they are, they will decide upon a final version of the bill. We are confident this version will include the Matthew Shepard Act. Once the final version of the bill has been approved by both Houses, it will be sent to President Bush for his signature.
To find out more about the bill, read the Human Rights Campaign’s Questions and Answers About the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
View an Online Photo Exhibit: "Hate Kills"
Hate Crimes Affect More than Just the Individual Attacked
All violent crimes are reprehensible. But the damage done by hate crimes cannot be measured solely in terms of physical injury or dollars and cents. Hate crimes rend the fabric of our society and fragment communities because they target a whole group and not just the individual victim. Hate crimes are committed to cause fear to a whole community. A violent hate crime is intended to "send a message" that an individual and "their kind" will not be tolerated, many times leaving the victim and others in their group feeling isolated, vulnerable and unprotected.
According to 2004 FBI statistics, hate crimes based on sexual orientation constituted the third highest category reported and made up 15.5 percent of all reported hate crimes. Only race-based and religion-based prejudice crimes were more prevalent than hate crimes based on sexual orientation.
Related Federal Legislation
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act/Matthew Shepard Act
Additional Information and Resources