ChattahBox (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
... Act, granting regulatory power to the FDA to regulate tobacco products and the recent and historic Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, expanding federal hate crime protection to categories of sexual orientation and gender. The new pieces of legislation were all opposed by Republicans, with many conservative lawmakers hotly contesting the expansion of the hate crimes bill. Rob Nabors,...
JURIST (Free subscription) | 10/23/2009
[JURIST] The US Senate on Thursday voted 68-29 to approve a bill that extends the definition of federal hate crimes to include crimes motivated by gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is part of a $681 billion military appropriations conference report for fiscal year 2010, and enables the Department of...
QueerToday.com (Free subscription) | 10/23/2009
... received death threats on my car and locker. It was during the fall of the year I transferred that Mathew Shepard was murdered. Like me, a thin effeminate male. My brother commented to my mom that I "could have been that kid." I was lucky enough to escape rural Pennsylvania for college in Boston where I found a supportive queer community who nurtured my activist nature and allowed...
Today With President Barack Obama (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
Obama gives an inspiring speech tonight to the Human Rights Campaign , a gay rights group. Obama shows why he's a Peace Man. Obama will end Don't Ask Don't Tell, which will allow gay people to serve freely in the military. He'll also soon be signing the Hate Crimes bill (introduced 10 years ago) in honor of Mathew Shepard. Obama jokes: "It's a privilege to be opening for Lady Gaga:"...
The Huffington Post (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009
... Department of Defense funding authorization bill that included a conference report on the “Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act.” It now goes on to the Senate for final approval. While I testified before Congress and state legislatures about research establishing the unique violence and severity of hate crime and wrote Supreme Court briefs on their constitutionality (which...
Out Gay Life (Free subscription) | 10/02/2009
... very powerful. As facilitator, I applauded both Senators for their votes in support of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, and Sen. Baucus for his support of ENDA. One of the attendees had this to say about the positive result of the meeting: “I thought the meeting was a great first step. Missoula is known for being a place of diversity. The staff members were essential for delivering our...
CBC.ca (Free subscription) | 09/29/2009
... Later will include new interviews with some of the residents of the town where university student Mathew Shepard was killed and an epilogue that represents an interview with his killer.The Laramie Project, created in 1999 based on interviews with the people of Laramie, Wyo., is a cornerstone of campaigns to raise awareness about violence against gays and to pass hate-crimes laws.The...
