Hate Crimes Prevention Act signed into law after a decade of advocacy

More than 10 years after the brutal murders of gay college student Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., an African-American man, President Obama signed legislation named for them on October 28, 2009: The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The new law updates existing federal hate crimes statutes by expanding the legal definition of a hate crime to cover crimes committed because of a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and lift restrictive requirements regarding engagement in a federally-protected activity. Also, the law provides resources to law enforcement officials including federal training and direct assistance, to combat violent, bias-motivated crime.

President Obama offered words of praise and encouragement to those who worked tirelessly on this legislation. "You understand we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break break bones but to break spirits. Not only to inflict harm but to instill fear," the President told a crowd gathered in the White House East Room on October 28. The President cited FBI statistics of more than 12,000 reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation over the last 10 years. He noted that many incidents are never even reported.

Together with teary-eyed family members of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., President Obama stood at the podium and announced: "No one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability." We encourage you to watch the full video below on this milestone celebration.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has cited a rise in the number of hate groups resulting from anti-immigration rhetoric, the severe recession and the election of a black president. The FBI has reported an increase in hate-motivated violence particularly against Hispanics and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Hate crimes victimize both individuals and communities and tend to be much more violent than other crimes.

Passage of the legislation culminates more than a decade of advocacy by over 300 organizations including the YWCA USA. We are so encouraged that measures such as this bring us small steps closer to our mission and the mission of YWCAs across the globe: eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.