John W. Olver: “Thousands gathered last night at the west steps of the Capitol to mourn the loss of Matthew Shepard. The vast majority…”

“Thousands gathered last night at the west steps of the Capitol to mourn the loss of Matthew Shepard. The vast majority of us did not know Matthew personally, but we were united in our belief that the hate that took Matthew's life is unacceptable in America. We were united in our belief that America still has a long way to go before our gays and lesbians can stop fearing for their lives because of who they are. We were united in our belief that Congress can help prevent and prosecute these terrible crimes by passing tough hate crimes legislation. We were united in our belief that we will never be silenced until gays and lesbians can live without fear. And we were united in our commitment to speak out with our voices and our votes against anti-gay rhetoric, against anti-gay newspaper ads, against anti-gay legislation and against the thuggery that took Matthew Shepard's life. Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing that this entire body can agree on, it is that the hate that took Matthew Shepard's life should be condemned. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.”