The federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepart (young victim of brutal and homophobic crime) law, was approved on Wednesday (29/03) by the United States House of Representatives. From now on, the entire North American territory will punish crimes motivated by gender identity, sexual orientation and disability.
The project will be presented to the Senate by Democrat Edward Kennedy, who is a senator from the State of Massachusetts. United States President Barack Obama supports the project. Shortly before the vote on the law in the House of Representatives, President Obama released an official note, asking "members on both sides (Democrats and Republicans) to think carefully and vote to protect citizens from any acts of violence and intolerance" .
A Republican congresswoman from North Carolina, Virginia Foxx, who opposed the law, was forced to make a public apology, as she said the young man's murder was a hoax to justify the creation of the law. She also argued that the boy had been murdered in a robbery. Later, the Republican said she had made a "poor choice of words" and defended life sentences for Mathew Shepard's killers.
In addition to her, there are other opponents to the law, most of them religious leaders. They say the law will divide America. In an argument very similar to that used by Brazilian fundamentalists, the North American religious group says it is against the law, as it understands that now religious leaders will no longer be able to criticize the gay lifestyle and for them this is censorship. The leader of the fundamentalist caucus, Republican and Texan Lamar Smith, said that the "law is unconstitutional and will not be approved."
Symbol of intolerance
In 1998, in October, Matthew Shepard was found by cyclists in a comatose state on a wooden pole. The people who found him said at the time that the boy was disfigured. The brutal crime gained national prominence, including a public speech by the president at the time, Bill Clinton.
Matthew was approached outside the Fireside Lounge bar by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, aged 22 and 21 respectively, telling him that they were also gay, but they cornered him and beat him to death. The murderers were sentenced to life in prison.
Check out here report on Matthew Shepard.
