FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | October 28, 2009

President Obama Signs Hate Crimes Bill

NCLR: "Marks the Beginning for a New Era of LGBT Civil Rights"

(Washington, DC, October 28, 2009) — Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) salutes President Barack Obama for signing the hate crimes bill, now known as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The law gives the Justice Department the authority to fully investigate and prosecute bias-motivated crimes where the victim has been targeted because of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

“This is the beginning of a new era—one where our community is recognized as part of the larger human family,” said NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell. “We thank President Obama, Congress, and the many hardworking advocates who have worked to pass this crucial legislation. My heart also goes out to the families for whom this measure comes much too late, after the loss of a loved one. It is my deepest hope that this new law will save lives.”

On October 8, 2009 the House of Representatives passed the Department of Defense Authorization Bill, which included the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment, with a vote of 281 to 146. On October 22, 2009, the Senate approved the bill 68 to 29.

Since this bill covering both sexual orientation and gender identity was introduced in 2007, hate-motivated crimes against LGBT people have continued to rise—federal statistics continuously show that crimes motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity are the third highest recorded bias crime in the country.

“We thank President Obama for signing the nation’s first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals into law,” said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Price Minter. “The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is the first federal law to include gender identity and transgender people. This is a historic day for our community and for justice.”

NCLR has long supported passage of this key measure, assisting with drafting bill provisions, drawing public attention to the problem of hate violence and the need for hate crimes legislation, and providing grassroots support necessary for its passage.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
www.nclrights.org.

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