Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill Passes In The Senate!
Filed under: Gay Gay Gay > Politik > Barack Obama
This is fantastic news!
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill was cleared in the Senate today officially making it through the last obstacle in Congress and making a huge stride in the way of LGBT equality!
President Barack Obama has promised to sign it later this month.
YES!
Human rights are for EVERYBODY!
We're making amazing progress slowly but surely and we need to keep it up! Nothing that's worthwhile comes easy!
[Image via Getty Images.]
Posted: October 22, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Blah blah… another special group. I think hate should be hate and shouldn't be tolerated regardless of who you want to screw.
You have the same human rights as non-puffers do. This legislation will just give you more. I think that's called discriminatory.
yay!
Thank God!
***Keep it coming***
"Human rights are for EVERYBODY!"
Just not Will.I.Am, right? You do realize that you're pushing for legislation that would make what *you* did a hate crime, right? You hypocritical fat fuck. I think I'm going to skip over to Youtube and watch that video of you getting your face caved in over and over and over while I have my post-work aperetif.
YES! FINALLY! im so glaad
This is great news!
Re: Mercine – Your ignorance is showing!
Keep running your mouth Perez and he'll end up vetoing it.
Obama hates Kanye so he more than likely can't stand your ass.
Who is we, thought your days of being involved in gay politics were over and you were more interested in Disney politics.
BTW does anyone know what the vote count was?
Isn't every crime a hate crime? Haven't you ever seen that South Park episode?
Re: ap076 – 68-29 Senate vote
Calling someone a "fa@@ot" will soon be a hate crime.
Too bad you can't be retro-actively arrested, Perez. I wish.
I'm glad to hear this! I hope Obama DOES sign it and not reneg on it like so many other things! Love needs to be taught in homes so that they don't go out HATING on others for any reason!
Re: SWEETPIECE! – Ok, genius, how is Mercine's comment "ignorant"? I think maybe you're the one who needs an education - no one group should enjoy more protection than another from hateful deeds and if you think they should, then I'm going to legislate an anti-hate bill for all the women who have to put up with the kind of hateful language and slander that Perez uses on this site.
And the U.S. takes another step towards Communist China. Very sad to see. Now they are legislating law against thought crime. It's just more collectivist BS putting people into groups rather than treating them as individuals. You call this "progress". Every new legislation passed by government is a step in the wrong direction. No man's life, liberty or property are safe when legislature is in session.
The killers got the death penalty before this was passed by the way. When these kinds of bills are passed you are saying the some victims are more important than others, you should punish people for their crimes, not why they did it. Why is it worse to kill someone because you don't like whatever (race, gay, etc.) than it is to kill someone because you want to rob them or whatever? All victims are important not just a few select politically correct select few? All violent crimes are hate crimes, and all victims deserve justice.
RIGHT FUCKING ON ThisIsIt. You are 100% spot-on. With the signing of this bill, Americans' 1st amendment rights are up for grabs. IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GOVERNMENT TRYING TO EXTEND THE RIGHTS OF LGBT PEOPLE. It has everything to do with the fact that now they can police & prosecute people based solely on what they think or say. It will now be a crime punishable by incarceration to even THINK something "hateful" about anyone. Not just LGBT, but anyone. Express "hate" for your neighbor? GO TO JAIL. "Hate" your Science teacher? GO TO JAIL. This is a very, very bad thing. I BEG you to do your research and read what the Shepard Bill's legislation text is hiding under the clever "progressive" guise of "protection of rights."
The haters must be shitting their pants!
RIP Matt Shepard!
What about Sakia Gunn?
'Bout time. How long did this take? That poor boy suffered.
Re: DoucheyMcDoucherton –
# 16 and # 18
Don't be so gloom-and-doom. Your negativity is suffocating.
Thought crime? Seriously?
it passed as an amendment to the Defense bill….
Re: Yellow Peeps – wow…..get a clue!
YES!!!! A THOUGHT CRIME!!!!!! HATE IS BASE ON THOUGHTS. IT'S ALL MENTAL!!!…………………..WHAT'S FUNNY ABOUT THIS BILL?? ALMOST EVERY SINGLE POST THAT THIS VINDICTIVE BITCH THROWS UP WILL BE CONSIDERED A HATE CRIME!!
Re: kinky_mermaid – Sweetpiece was 100% on point. It seems to me neither Mercine or you have a clear picture of what this legislation will do and why it is historic. Mercine's major error in intelligence was in dismissively suggesting there is something 'special' about the population this legislation is intended to protect. Your statement 'no one group should enjoy more protection' is flawed when one realises crimes have been ignored because they were committed against gay people, implying more protection to straight people in comparison.
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In short, the The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act will make crimes committed because of a person’s perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity a federal hate crime. The FBI will now be required to include transgender hate crimes in its statistics. Federal funds can be used to investigate and prosecute LGBTQ hate crimes, and federal law enforcement will have greater leeway to investigate hate crimes should local law enforcement choose to not get involved.
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While it is simple enough to say 'hate should be hate' or 'no one group should enjoy more protection than another from hateful deeds' the reality has been that protection has been woefully absent or too easily ignored for LGBT people. That has changed now, thankfully.
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Best luck in advocating for the legislation you seek.
Re: SWEETPIECE! – Shall we do the happy dance?!?
Re: DoucheyMcDoucherton – Re: perezisavindictivebitch – Best luck in the pursuit of your law degrees…you'll surely need it.
Re: b a t k i s s – Oh yes! Let's! ox
Nothing that's worthwhile comes easy!
THEN LEARN TO SPELL!!!
Re: Mercine – Special group? Really? When was the last time you got your ass beat,for being straight?
Re: Pear Ass Hilton – I think your reply is called bigoted!
Why are so many people on this just seeing the bad in the passing of this bill? Its a great bill and maybe all the people on here that think its just "grouping people" and its making us "more like communist china" should actually read the bill. Its not saying that hate crimes toward gay people are worst, its just adding on more to a previous Act (The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act). Which did not include people who were targeted on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability. So please people stop it with all that crap talking and try to be happy.
we r finally evolving as a county sooo
Oh please he threw you a bone to get you off his case about gay-marriage.
Great job!
Re: Pear Ass Hilton – Actually asshole it doesn't give anyone more rights,it protects hetrols equally if they are targeted,but we know who the asshole culprits usually are dont we. I say conservative scum should embrace any effort to give stronger sentences to violent assholes.
Re: bluephoenix – Oh well if it's in south park it must be true. I'm not sure if holding someone up at a liquor store is a hate crime it's just violent. We already protetect peoples religions and races so I think gays who are the most frequent targets should be covered as well and anyone moral wouldn't object. Oh but the only reason this didn't pass before is because the disgusting hate the republican trash have towards gays on every topic important to gays, Thats ok because they will have to answer for that sooner or later.
Re: Yellow Peeps – Well calling someone a F*gg*t or n*gg*r sure is hateful and if somehow you couldnt do it anymore will you go through withdrawls asshole?
Re: knowitall – 38 Don't be calling Peeps names now. Peeps is good.
Re: SWEETPIECE! – Thanks love
mathew shepard was a pervert who harassed and bothered and tried to molest other people. he got what he deserved
Re: SWEETPIECE! – What he said was the smartest thing said in this thread.
Re: h8terboi – YOU are a sick asshole! I think you just wrote this shit for attention. NOW,you got some. Feel better,douche?
Karma is a bitch! It's gonna come up and bite you on the ass!
Re: Mickey9661 – Not by people who know the meaning of the term.
Re: knowitall – Careful knownothingatall, you are treading dangerously close to committing a hate crime.
Re: h8terboi – What an awful thing to say, no one deserves to be savagely beaten the way that young man was. The assholes that killed him targeted him because he was gay and felt like he didn't deserve to live. Maybe you should crawl in a hole and fuckin die…
Welcome to the club, Americans. Hate crimes are in the law books in Canada. It just is a bit lame in the enforcement. Now it's time to get in synch with Canada to get coast to coast gay marriage and health care for all.
Re: tick_tock_tick_tock – you are a true idiot. Next time you bash MJ, I'll take the new bill into consideration and have your ass in the slammer. By the way, how old are you?
I was at the University of Wyoming when Matthew died and knew him. I didn't know him well, but he dated one of my friends. I do believe hate is hate no matter who it's done to but it is a nice tribute to a good guy. I have known people that don't want to visit Wyoming because of what happened though. That is very hurtful. Just because two jackasses did something horrible doesn't mean the whole state is that way. It's a beautiful place with beautiful people.
Re: KevinK – 42 Who Knowitall, I know.
Re: KevinK – 42 Oh, you meant Batkiss! Love Batkiss!