National Call-in Days for Hate Crimes Legislation

by Eric Grignol · 2009-04-28 09:15:00 UTC
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HRC Call-in campaign

As the U.S. House is poised to vote soon on the Matthew Shepard Act, the Human Rights Campaign has launched a national call-in campaign April 27 - 29. Now is the time to call your congressional representatives and urge them to vote for quick passage of the legislation, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913). Tell your Member's office you want to see this law enacted by phoning the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Why is this legislation important? Hate crimes against LGBT people are on the rise. One out of every six is due to sexual orientation. The Matthew Shepard Act targets only violent action, not speech, so clergy who say the Act will impose on what they can preach are wrong. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese states:

"We need more calls to Members of Congress, and we need them right away. It has been ten long years and tens of thousands more victims since the Matthew Shepard Act was first introduced in Congress. We are poised for a presidential signature this year but lies from the radical right could easily derail our efforts.  We must not allow them to continue to demagogue and distort the truth."

You can learn more about the bill here. Do your part and make your voice heard. This is a tangible action you can take in minutes and make a real difference. Call today!

Eric Grignol
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