Hate Crimes Based on Sexual Orientation Up By 6 % In 2007

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, responded today to the Federal Bureau of Investigation report which showed the incidence of bias-motivated crimes based on sexual orientation increased by 6 percent in 2007. Hate crimes based on sexual orientation remain the third most common type of hate crimes, behind race and religion. This increase comes as the Hate Crimes Statistics, 2007, also reported that the overall incidence of bias-motivated crimes decreased in 2007.

“The FBI’s 2007 hate crimes report shows once again that hate crimes protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are long overdue,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “We are hopeful that after next week’s election we will finally have a President and a Congress that will enact federal hate crimes legislation into law."

Each year the FBI releases statistics of bias-motivated crime in the United States. While thousands of crimes are reported by hundreds of jurisdictions each year, the Human Rights Campaign believes this is only a fraction of the actual number of bias-motivated crime that occur in any given year. Reporting by state and local authorities to the FBI is voluntary and many jurisdictions lack the time and training to effectively report each incident of bias-motivated violence that occurs in a year.

While the FBI statistics provide a glimpse of the pervasiveness of bias-motivated violence in the United States, these statistics should be used as a starting point, not a comprehensive number. The Human Rights Campaign compiles media reports of hate crimes throughout the United States, in 2007 alone the media reported dozens of incidents of violent, bias-motivated crime that were clearly not reflected in the FBI report. While not authoritative, the Human Rights Campaign was able to match up several jurisdictions that reported zero incidents and non-reporting jurisdictions with media reports of bias motivated violent crime towards the LGBT community.

Via HRC

10 Years Later...Nothing Is Done...

It's been ten years since 21-year-old Matthew Shepard lost his life after being violently beaten and left for dead along a remote Wyoming road.

His offense? Being himself – a conscientious college student who happened to be gay.

The murder shocked and saddened the nation, but a decade later, federal law still fails to recognize hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

It's time to get our heads out of the sand and stop pretending everthing is ok. It's not!! Over all we have not gained any rights. If anything we have lost many of our rights. We can no longer hold out for the states to do the right thing. If Black American's waited, like we are doing, they would still be slaves. Is that what you want? Do you want to be treated like a second class citizen? Do you want to be the next one to be tied to a fench post? I know I don't. So lets stand up together, let us hold hands, let us march for what is right! We must no longer be timid. We must not look weak! I'm Standing up!! Will you stand beside me or will you walk away with your head down?

Tell Obama to continue the fight to support hate crimes legislation and ask McCain to reverse his idiotic position.

Westboro Baptist Church...

Westboro, God is saying to you, "depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

You are false prophets. You teach nothing but hate. God is love, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8). This passage is very simple and can not be twisted ,by people like you, people of the Devil.

When you put up websites like GodHatesFags and when you picket at peoples' funerals, you are not teaching love like Jesus and God wanted; you are being False prophets. Jesus taught love, not hate. Leviticus 19:18 "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."

Can you not read? Can you not understand the true teaching of your lord? Leviticus 19:34 "But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." Matthew 7:12 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

This is the law and the Prophets. The true law and the true prophets, not you, you false prophets of hate. You are prophets of the Devil, not of God.

If you truely want to bring people to God, you need to learn the true teachings. If God came today to take his people you would not be one of them, for you did not follow the teachings of God. You followed the teachings of the Devil. You did the work of the Devil. You brought hate upon the land of the Lord. You divided his people.