William L. Clay: “This bill also honors the memory of James Byrd, who was horribly dragged to his death behind a pickup truck simply…”

“This bill also honors the memory of James Byrd, who was horribly dragged to his death behind a pickup truck simply because his killers did not like the color of his skin. It honors Matthew Shepherd, who was beaten and tied to a fence post and left to die in near freezing weather because he was gay. It honors not only the victims of high-profile crimes, it honors the thousands of people whose lives have been scarred by similar acts of hate and violence. Hate crimes legislation is not a partisan issue. It is not about political posturing. It is not about us versus them. This is an issue that transcends politics. I urge the House leadership to allow a vote on this important measure, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1343.”