[Tsa] Fwd: Victory on Federal Hate Crimes Legislation!

[Justin Porter]

It's taken far too long for this to happen, but it finally did. Pending a
signature from President Obama (who has already said he will sign), federal
hate crime laws will now include gender expression and sexuality in all facets.
Read below for more info.

----- Forwarded message from Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund
<info at transgenderlegal.org> -----
    Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:28:09 -0400 (EDT)
    From: Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund <info at transgenderlegal.org>
Reply-To: info at transgenderlegal.org
 Subject: Victory on Federal Hate Crimes Legislation!
      To: dragonspike111 at att.net

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Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

Victory on Federal Hate Crimes Legislation!
October 23, 2009
===============================================================================
Dear friends,
It's incredible.

Yesterday, the Senate passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate
Crimes Prevention Act, a major piece of national civil rights legislation
for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.  The Act
broadens the definition of federal hate crimes to include those motivated
by a victim's gender identity or sexual orientation. It gives victims the
same federal safeguards already afforded to people who are attacked
because of their race, color, religion or national origin.
Now that the bill has passed both the House and the Senate, it's on to
President Obama for his signature.  He has promised to sign the bill
into law.
This is huge.  Our supporters have spoken out, written letters to
elected officials, and signed petitions demanding hate crime protections
for our community.  Your efforts have paid off in a big way.
We've spent countless hours working to educate the public about the urgent
need for LGBT-inclusive hate crimes legislation.  When I spoke with
Carmella Etienne -- who was the victim of a hate-motivated attack in
Queens this past summer -- she was overjoyed at the news that federal
protections were on the way.  When I spoke with Roxanne Green, the
mother of slain transgender woman Lateisha Green, she was ecstatic to hear
the news.  The thought that all she and her family had endured,
committing themselves to speaking out about anti-LGBT hate violence when
they just wanted to curl up and make the pain of their loss go away, was
overwhelming.  That the passage of the bill comes near the one year
anniversary of Teish's death made the news that much more meaningful to
her.
Hate-motivated violence doesn't just target an individual.  It
targets an entire community, and it's meant to make us fearful on the
streets where we live, work, and socialize.  It undermines the
promise of equality, and it affects us all on a deeply personal
level.  There are days when the many stories of hate violence make me
so mad I could spit nails.  There are other days when it all just
makes me want to cry.  But today, I feel a sense of hope.
Justice is on the way.
You can spin a globe, drop your finger down on it, and be pretty well
assured that it will land on a spot in the world where LGBT people are
targeted for hate violence, and where the government either turns a blind
eye to that violence, or actively encourages and even participates in
it.  To have our government - finally - say that things must be
different and that it will use all of the resources at its disposal to
combat the hate violence that LGBT people still face on a daily basis
sends a powerful message to Americans and to the world.
Yesterday, we took a huge step forward on the road to equal rights.
There's still so much to be done, but with your continued support, we will
put an end to violence and discrimination directed at people simply because
they live openly and honestly as who they are.
Thank you for everything you've done to help make this moment a
reality.  Let's savor it.
Very best wishes,

Michael Silverman
Executive Director

===============================================================================
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Join Our Mailing List: http://transgenderlegal.org
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