Thank You for Working to Pass the Matthew Shepard Act
- by: Care2.com
- recipient: Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard Foundation, Human Rights Campaign
On Wednesday, October 28, as part of the 2010 defense authorization bill, President Obama made law the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This law classifies crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity as hate crimes and allows the Justice Department to assist in their prosecution.
It's taken Congress 12 years to pass this legislation, and it wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of activists across the country and across the globe.
However, special mention should go to Judy Shepard, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and Human Rights Campaign (HRC). All three have been tireless in their advocacy, and we'd like to thank them for all the sweat and tears it's taken to get to this point.
Sign below to pass along your gratitude to Ms. Shepard, the Foundation and HRC for their hard work to protect LGBT people against hate crimes.
Dear Ms. Shepard, Matthew Shepard Foundation, and Human Rights Campaign,
I want to thank you for the hard work and tireless advocacy on behalf of the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Hate crimes are intended to create fear and intimidate entire communities, and this law will go a long way to protecting communities from this menace.
[Your comments]
Thank you again for your efforts.
