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Action Alert
Voice Your Support Against Hate Crimes! June 4, 2002
Background:
Hate crimes are increasing across our country. Earlier this year,
17-year-old April Mora, of Denver, Colo., reported being brutally attacked
by four men who used razor blades to slash her face and cut the word "dyke"
into her forearm and the initials "R.I.P." into her abdomen. Mora says she
believes the men attacked her because she doesn't, as she says, "look like a
girl." In February, a lesbian couple and their infant child in Missoula, Mont.,
narrowly escaped death when their house was set on fire – reportedly in
response to a discrimination lawsuit they filed against the Montana
university system. The latest statistics show that, while overall serious crimes have remained
unchanged in the nation, hate crimes reported to local authorities and the
FBI have increased by 3.5%. Current federal law allows prosecution of hate
crimes motivated by bias based only on race, religion, national origin
and/or color.Contact your Senators at (877) 242-0100 TODAY, Tuesday, June 4 or TOMORROW,
Wednesday, June 5 to urge support for the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement
Act (LLEEA)(S. 625). This bill, if passed, would strengthen the current
federal hate crimes statutes by eliminating the requirement that victims of
hate crimes be engaged in a federally protected activity, while also adding
the important categories of sexual orientation, sex and disability.
Suggested Message:
I urge you to support S. 625 without any weakening amendments. This
bi-partisan bill, sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Arlen Specter
(R-PA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), would remove existing obstacles to federal
hate crime prosecutions and extend existing federal hate crime law that
covers race, religion and national origin to cover hate crimes based on
actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender or disability. As a Humanist I urge you to reject tactics that use fear and `special
rights` arguments to incite opposition to this bill. I strongly believe that
crimes against humanity are equally horrific regardless of the orientation
of the victim. I believe passage of this bill represents a crucial step in
the ongoing effort to eliminate hate and prejudice from our society. While I
realize that hate and prejudice cannot be legislated out of existence, I
believe a forceful response to violence targeting minorities is required of
us all. I hope that you will take a leadership role in making this happen.
Sincerely,
[your name]
American Humanist Association
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