House passes inclusive hate crimes bill

The House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of categories covered under federal hate crime law.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act for the 21-year-old college student who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998, would provide local police and sheriff’s departments with federal resources to combat hate violence.

“No one should face violence simply because of who they are,” said Judy Shepard, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “This bill is a critical step to erasing the hate that has devastated far too many families.”

Wednesday morning, just hours before the vote, President Obama urged Congress to pass the bill.

” I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance – legislation that will enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association,” the President said in a statement.

” I also urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and to take swift action.”

During debate on the bill, prior to the vote, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) alleged that it was a “hoax” that the slaying of Matthew Shepard’s had anything to do with him being gay.

“That young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery, it wasn’t because he was gay,” said Foxx.

The Senate version of the bill was filed this week by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). It still needs to go to committee before being voted on in the full Senate.

[I am not trying to make a personal attack or anything... but seriously, is Virginia Foxx a c_nt or what?!?]