The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed by President Obama in a White House ceremony today. This new law is an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill, which will be signed in a separate event to day. This long needed law (and one promised by the Obama campaign):
…makes it a federal crime to assault someone because of their sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. It is named for the victims of two horrific crimes in 1998: Matthew Shepard, a gay teenager from Wyoming who was beaten to death; and James Byrd. Jr., a black man from Texas who was tied to a pick-up track and dragged to death.
Prior to the signing, there was march on the White House by activists as well as parents and friends of gays and lesbians. They carried photos of hate crime murder victims (including Matthew Shepard and Harvey Milk) to remind people that since Matthew Shepard was murdered (1998), there have been more than 16,000 hate crime victims across the country.