Same Sex Living

The US Senate has voted its approval of the Defense Authorization bill with a final tally of 68 for and 29 against. The importance of this measure for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is the provision contained within re-titled The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This historic legislation has been on the floor for a vote thirteen previous times, and the fourteenth time it passed.

The next, and final step of the process is for President Obama to sign the bill into law when it reaches his desk. The President has repeatedly made promises of unconditional support and his endorsement should follow without concern. Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign, a relentlessly active organization for passage, stated, "[This is] our nation's first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence. We now can begin the important steps to erasing hate in our country."  http://www.hrc.org/sites/loveconquershate/index.asp

The Act "provides the Justice Department with the ability to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of violent crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury that were motivated by bias" (HRC). It also provides federal funding for local and state assistance, training, and the combating of youth violence. This event is a critical step in assuring the safety and well being of LGBT people across the nation.