The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act was approved by the U.S. House 249 to 175. Virginia Foxx wasn't alone in her insane bigotry; the GOP fringe had their time on the floor to embarrass themselves, further driving the Republican party into the dustbin of history as the haven for extremists, eliminationists and know-nothings.
Check out this compilation from Think Progress of the parade of wingnuts, including Michele Bachmann, making asses out of themselves on the House floor. These members of Congress have been captured for eternity on video. Their grandkids are going to wonder what the hell was wrong with their kin when they see these hysterics.
REP MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN): I feel that this hate crime legislation could be considered the very definition of tyranny.
REP. GRESHMAN BARRET (R-SC): This bill would inhibit religious freedom in our society -- a scary thought.
REP. LOUIE GOHMERT (R-TX): You think a pregnant mother does not deserve the protection of a homosexual? You think a military member doesn't deserve the protection of a transvestite?
REP. STEVE KING (R-IA): I, Mr. Speaker, oppose and I defy the logic of the people that would advocate for such legislation the very idea we could divine what goes on in the heads of people when they commit crimes.
But we can't just rail about the batsh*t Republicans. Guess who voted against the hate crimes bill from the Blue Dog Dem Hall of Shame?
Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL)
Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK)
Chris Carney (Blue Dog-PA) who still hasn't learned his lesson
Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)
Lincoln Davis (Blue Dog-TN)
Joe Donnelly (Blue Dog-IN)
Brad Ellsworth(Blue Dog-IN)
Bart Gordon (Blue Dog-TN)
Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)
Charlie Melancon (Blue Dog-LA)
Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR)
Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)
John Tanner (Blue Dog-TN)
Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)
Positive reaction to the passage of the bill:
"All Americans are one step closer to protection from hate violence thanks to today's vote," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "Hate crimes are a scourge on our communities and it's time we give law enforcement the tools they need to combat this serious problem."
"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."
Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
"Our country is on the cusp of recognizing and responding to the reality of hate violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It is a national embarrassment that bigotry and ignorance have prevented enactment of substantive federal hate crimes legislation, but that goal is finally, truly, within our grasp.
"Laws embody the values of our nation, and through this legislation the House is clearly and unequivocally saying that America rejects and condemns hate violence against its people. The importance of this cannot be overstated, particularly in light of the toxic misinformation campaign that has been waged against the bill by right-wing forces who would rather see anti-LGBT crimes go unaddressed than have the words 'sexual orientation' or 'gender identity' appear alongside other protected classes in federal law.
"We thank all the House members who voted for this bill today. We urge the administration to help usher this critical legislation through the Senate, and for President Obama to then quickly sign the legislation, as he has signaled he will do."
People For the American Way President Michael B. Keegan:
"I applaud the House for passing this legislation. Hate crimes remain all too common in this county, and it's important that the federal government take strong stand to ensure that no one is subjected to the threat of violence because of who they are.
"I'm especially pleased that this bill contains strong First Amendment protections to ensure that no one's right to free expression will ever be affected by this law. All Americans have a right to live in safety, and all Americans have a right to speak, preach, and worship freely. This legislation helps ensure both of those goals.
"I want to thank the members of People For's African American Ministers In Action program who worked so hard to help pass this legislation. Their voices were crucial in pushing back against the dishonest attacks of those who wanted to derail this legislation.
"Now that the House of Representatives has acted, it's time for the Senate to do the same and send this bill to President Obama's desk."
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays:
"The critically important bill approved by the House today would give law enforcement officials a powerful weapon in battling the nearly 1,000 anti-gay and transgender hate crimes reported each year, and give victims and their families hope that our country will finally take serious steps to curb those attacks," said Jody M. Huckaby, PFLAG's executive director. "Too many families have lost a loved one to hate, and this bill would ensure that, moving forward, other families will be able to more easily seek, and find, justice in bias-motivated cases. This measure, which was supported by 31 attorneys general and more than 200 organizations from both sides of the political aisle, is long overdue and urgently needed. PFLAG families urge the Senate to quickly approve the measure as well, and send the bill to President Obama for his signature."
National Black Justice Coalition:
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) applauds the passage of H.R. 1913, Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, which would allow the federal government to work with state and local authorities to prevent and if necessary punish hate crimes to the fullest extent possible. The House passed the legislation by a vote of 249 to 175.
Congress passed the Act ten years after Matthew Shepard's hate-motivated murder, giving the federal government the authority to investigate, prosecute, and help local law enforcement crack down on hate crimes. NBJC is pleased at the passage of H.R. 1913 and urges our members and supporters to work to ensure that the Senate adopt the companion legislation S. 909 and send the bill to President Obama for his signature.
One in six hate crimes are motivated by sexual orientation and gender identity/expression bias. In 2003, Sakia Gunn, a 15-year old African American lesbian, was murdered in a hate crime in Newark, New Jersey. On the night of May 11, Gunn was returning from a night out in Greenwich Village, Manhattan with her friends. While waiting for the #1 New Jersey Transit bus at the corner of Broad and Market Streets in downtown Newark, Gunn and her friends were propositioned by two men. When the girls rejected their advances, by declaring themselves to be lesbians, the men attacked them. Gunn fought back, and one of the men, Richard McCullough, stabbed her in the chest. Both men immediately fled the scene in their vehicle. After one of Gunn's friends flagged down a passing driver, she was taken to nearby University Hospital, where she died.
Another personal story begins to illustrate some of the unique experiences of Black SGL/LGBT victims of hate. Earlier this month a Colorado court convicted Allen Andrade of first-degree murder and a bias-motivated crime in the death of 18-year-old transgender woman Angie Zapata. It was one of the first times in the country that a state's hate crimes statute was used in the investigation and prosecution of an anti-transgender murder case.
NBJC would like to thank the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who stood up and supported this Act by speaking out on the House Floor: Al Green (TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX), Robert "Bobby" Scott (VA), and Donna Edwards (MD), along with Chairman John Conyers of Michigan for his leadership in introducing this legislation and ensuring its passage.
"On May 11th we will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the brutal murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15-year old African American lesbian from Newark, NJ. In her name and in the name of the countless others who have suffered at the hands of anti-gay bigots we celebrate this step toward ensuring justice," said H. Alexander Robinson, Executive Director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC).
African Americans continue to rank as the highest target for hate crimes while gays and lesbians are ranked third by total number of victims.
NBJC Deputy Director for Communications and Connecticut State Representative Jason W. Bartlett noted, "Having legal protection for LGBT individuals is a key component in helping to stem the tide of violence directed towards lesbian, gay and transgender Americans as a group. I am please to see that as a country, we will no longer turn our backs on our brothers and sisters."
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