On Oct. 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill expanding the legal definition of a federal hate crime to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. The bill came as an attachment to the Defense Spending Bill and was passed 281-146.
Similar legislation is under review in the Senate and is expected to be passed shortly and signed into law by President Barack Obama.
The bill is named after Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old man from Laramie, Wyo. who was killed because of his sexual orientation in 1998.
Watch for updates on pridesource.com and in upcoming issues of Between The Lines.
Update: Hate crimes legislation
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