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Sign a Petition
The legal term "hate crimes" refers to violent crimes that involve bias, and hate crimes perpetrators usually face harsher sentences than other criminals. Current federal hate crimes law covers only color, national origin, race, and religion. In 22 states and Washington D.C., sexual orientation is already a protected category. But roughly the same number of states exclude sexual orientation, and the remainder have no hate crimes laws at all. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would add sexual orientation along with gender and disability as categories protected under federal hate crimes law, got stalled in Congress last year, despite the Clinton-Gore administration's efforts to pass it. Please, I urge all of the nation's federal and state representatives to take a stand against hate and discrimination and support this pivotal legislation. In the names of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, we can no longer tolerate this type of crimes that affects a community at large. These incidents terrorize a community and instill fear in minority groups. These crimes are often not investigated and/or prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law due to bias at the local level. I urge all to put yourself in the shoes of these vulnerable minorities, and please show your support for the enactment of this deeply important and needed legislation. Thank you for your time in the reading of our support in this worthy endeavor.
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