Yesterday, the Senate approved a measure to expand hate crime legislation by extending coverage to violence against gays, which of course comes after plenty of debate and threats of a filibuster. The bill is named after Matthew Shepard, the gay college student whose violent death in Wyoming in 1998 sounded calls across the nation to expand what's included under the hate-crime legislation passed in 1968. If passed, it will be the first update to the legislation since then, and it would cover violence motivated by a victim's sexual orientation, gender, disability or gender identity in addition to religion, race, national origin, or color.
Dems, as well as the senator who has been trying to get this legislation in pretty much every day for the last seven years, Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.), are gleeful that it stands a chance of clearing the House and Senate this time. But they're not-so-gleeful about the fact that it would probably be vetoed when it lands on Bush's desk. So, they're lumping it into the defense spending bill, figuring he won't veto that. "At a time that we are fighting terrorism abroad, the United States Senate says, 'We are going to fight terrorism, hatred and bigotry here at home,'" said Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Which of course pisses off conservatives who worry that Bush will be more against federal hate crime laws than he is for giving troops better body armor. It's an interesting method of getting it passed, so I'm curious to see how it will fare.
--Kate Sheppard
