Doesn’t including sexual orientation in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act give special protection to homosexuals based on sexual behavior?
There is nothing “special” about wanting to live free of violence in our society. Evidence shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans are frequent targets of violent bias motivated crimes. It would be inappropriate and irresponsible to leave this community out of the solution. It is well established that the term “sexual orientation” means homosexuality, bisexuality, and heterosexuality. In the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, the term “sexual orientation” is defined as “consensual homosexuality or heterosexuality.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation also collects statistics on hate crimes perpetrated against individuals on the basis of bisexuality. A bias motivated crime occurs when the perpetrator of the crime intentionally selects the victim because of who the victim is. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act adds sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability to existing federal law conferring authority on the federal gov
Related Questions
- Doesn’t including sexual orientation in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act give special protection to homosexuals based on sexual behavior?
- How did the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act change the 1969 law?
- What is the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA)?
