Tammy Baldwin: “the House today has a historic opportunity to expand upon the principles of equal rights and equal protection embodied…”

“the House today has a historic opportunity to expand upon the principles of equal rights and equal protection embodied in our Constitution by passing the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This Act would offer Federal protections for victims of hate crimes targeted because of their race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability. These characteristics are included in this hate crimes legislation, not because they deserve any special protection as opponents of this legislation claim, but because of the history of particularly heinous and violent crimes committed against individuals based on such characteristics. That's what warrants this inclusion. I wanted to share several stories about why this legislation is so important. I only have time for one. Let us never forget the story of Matthew Shepard, who was brutally attacked by his hateful, homophobic assailants and left to die on a fence in a remote area of Wyoming. Matthew's death generated international outrage by exposing the violent nature of hate crimes and its horrific effect on the entire targeted commune. The sponsors of the Senate hate crimes legislation have renamed the bill the Matthew Shepard Act.”