Hate Crimes Are Hate Crimes Are Hate Crimes...

by Dora Raymaker · 2009-05-01 16:00:00 UTC
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This isn't my "official" B.A.D.D. post, but it's definitely still in the spirit of the day--

a rectangluar sign with horizontal red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple stripes and the words 'HATE FREE ZONE' written in white letters on a black background, one below the other, in the centerYesterday the U.S. House passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and now it's onwards to the Senate! Huzzah! This bill is an anti-discrimination act that affects quite a lot of us.

AAPD put up a lovely page 'o quotes earlier this week that goes to show that hate crimes based on sexual orientation and hate crimes based on gender and hate crimes based on disability and hate crimes based on race, color, religion, or national origin are all equally unacceptable.

"Too many times when heinous crimes are committed against people with disabilities, these offenses either go unreported or unprosecuted as hate crimes, even if the circumstances clearly show the victim was targeted because of a disability. AAPD strongly supports the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, which, if passed, will help protect people with disabilities from those who commit violent, bias-motivated crimes by giving law enforcement resources to investigate and prosecute these crimes." --Andrew Imparato, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

More change.org coverage at Gay Rights. And here's how you can take direct action--this bill isn't just for gay rights, it's for disability rights, and human rights too!

Dora Raymaker
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