Hate crimes
2009 2009-11Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 3 →
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Obama recently signed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes legislation. While the reform should certainly be supported, few think that it will add any meaningful protection to victims of homophobic attacks and has added to the illusion that Obama respects the LGBT community and is a “fierce advocate for equality.” Ironically, to guarantee the bill’s passage, it was made part of a broader bill authorizing an additional $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Washington Post reported that “according the FBI, law enforcement agencies around the country reported 7624 hate crime incidents in 2007, the most recent year for which data were available. More than half were categorized as racially motivated, and about 17 percent were based on sexual orientation.”