UPDATE: Locals Gather in Puerto Rico to Remember Jorge Steven López – Vigils to be held across the Nation in Coming Days
November 20, 2009
Locals gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Thursday afternoon to remember 19 year-old Jorge Steven López, who was brutally murdered last Friday in what appears to be a hate-motivated crime.
Local activist and GLAAD ally Christopher Pagan was on the ground in Puerto Rico for the gathering.
“I was really touched by how many locals — gay and straight– came together to remember Jorge and defend the rights of the LGBT community,” said Pagan. ”Since Jorge’s death, I see gay men and lesbians in the community walking with more pride than I had ever seen before and straight community members who sympathize with the gay community during this difficult time.”
GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios will join thousands of New Yorkers this Sunday, November 22 at Pier 45 in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. Stand with GLAAD in mourning the horrific death of Jorge Steven López.
The New York Vigil will take place at Pier 45 on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 5:00 pm. An optional mass will follow.
Other vigils will be held across the nation in coming days. Vigil locations include:
Abilene, TX – 5:30PM, ACU campus, next to GATA fountain [Facebook link]
Amherst, MA – MONDAY 11/23 – 6:30PM, Food For Thought Books [Facebook link]
Atlanta – Details forthcoming
Boston – 7PM, Trinity Church, Copley Plaza [Facebook link]
Chicago – 4PM, Division and California, procession to Humboldt Park Boat House [Facebook link coming Friday]
Durham, NC – 6PM, Corcoran St, CCB Plaza [Facebook link]
Los Angeles – 8PM, Santa Monica and San Vicente [Facebook link]
New Orleans – Details forthcoming
Oakland – 3:30PM, MacArthur and Lakeshore/Grand Ave [Facebook link]
Philadelphia – Details forthcoming
San Juan, Puerto Rico - November 25, 6PM, Department of Justice
San Francisco – 7PM, Castro and Market [Facebook link]
Terre Haute, IN - FRI 11/20 – 6:30PM, Indiana State, DeDe Plaza [Facebook link]
For the latest information about a vigil in your area, please visit: http://mercado-vigil.tumblr.com/
(Photos courtesy of Christopher Pagan)
Related Posts:UPDATE: Suspect Charged in Jorge Steven López Case – No Hate Crime Charge at this Time
November 19, 2009
Juan Martínez Matos – the man who has confessed to brutally murdering, decapitating and dismembering 19 year-old Jorge Steven López – was charged with murder in the first degree and a series of weapons charges on Wednesday, according to Puerto Rico’s Primera Hora newspaper.
A hate crime charge has yet to be filed and Martínez Matos is being held on $4 million bail.
The victim’s grief-stricken father appeared in court for the hearing and was asked for forgiveness by his son’s killer.
“I have already forgiven you, but the one you must ask for forgiveness is God,” said López senior.
The preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for 7 December in a Caguas, PR court.
Updates on this story will continue to be posted on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:BREAKING: Puerto Rico Police Confirm Jorge Steven López Murder is being Investigated as a Possible Hate Crime
November 18, 2009
The Associated Press reported late Wednesday that Puerto Rico police have confirmed that the savage murder of 19 year-old Jorge Steven López is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Juan Antonio Martínez Matos confessed on Wednesday to brutally murdering, decapitating and dismembering López on November 13.
If charged with a hate crime, the case could be the first ever to invoke new federal hate crimes legislation that protects victims on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity.
The AP reported that Martínez Matos has already been interrogated by a local prosecutor who concluded the killing was in fact a hate-motivated crime. Charges have yet to be filed, however.
The AP also noted the significance of a hate crime conviction:
A suspect convicted of a hate crime offense as part of another crime automatically faces the maximum penalty for the underlying crime. For a murder charge, that would be life in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said that it will assume jurisdiction over the case if it is deemed a hate crime by local law enforcement officials.
Vigils are being held across the nation in coming days to remember young López. For more information about a vigil in your area, please visit: http://mercado-vigil.tumblr.com/
GLAAD has reached out to the victim’s family, friends, and community members and will provide media training for various spokespeople who wish to tell Jorge’s story. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:Puerto Rican Teen Brutally Slain in Alleged Hate Crime
November 17, 2009
The body of a nineteen year-old boy was found decapitated, dismembered, and partially burnt in the Puerto Rican city of Cayey on Friday in what some suspect is an anti-gay bias crime.
The Puerto Rico-based newspaper Primera Hora reported on Tuesday that a suspect has been arrested and two vehicles have been seized for investigation in the case.
Friends grew concerned after the teen, Jorge Steven López, failed to meet them at a local club.
A Puerto Rican investigator, Angel Rodriguez, drew stern criticism from LGBT advocates after he implied that López perhaps deserved his brutal fate because of López’s so-called “lifestyle.”
“When these type of people get into this and go out into the streets like this, they know this can happen to them,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
Rodriguez has since been removed from the case.
The LGBT publication Edge reported on Monday that the FBI announced that the bureau will claim jurisdiction over the case if local investigators conclude that López’s murder is, in fact, a hate motivated crime.
President Barack Obama signed groundbreaking federal hate-crimes legislation just last month. That legislation prohibits hate-motivated violence on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity.
GLAAD will continue to monitor the media’s coverage of this gruesome crime. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:An Introduction to Transgender Day of Remembrance 2009
November 16, 2009
People around the world will be observing the eleventh annual Transgender Day of Remembrance this Friday, Nov 20. To commemorate the day, GLAAD and our guest bloggers will be writing about issues relevant to the Day of Remembrance throughout the week. Check the National News section of GLAADblog frequently to view the series of guest contributions.
T
his Friday marks the annual observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day reserved to honor the lives lost to anti-transgender prejudice and violence. Individuals and communities observe the Transgender Day of Remembrance in many different ways. There is always a mix of silent personal reflections, vocal community demonstrations, remembering the loss and pain of the past year, and looking forward to make the next years safer for all transgender and gender non-conforming people.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance originated as a local response to the brutal murder of Rita Hester, a highly visible transgender woman and community-educator in Boston in 1998. Rita was stabbed 20 times in her apartment on Saturday, Nov 28th. Police rushed her to the hospital, but she went into cardiac arrest and could not be revived. Rita’s murderer(s) have still not been found.
This tragedy, so similar to previous attacks on transgender communities, inspired Gwendolyn Ann Smith to coordinate a vigil in 1999, which became the first Transgender Day of Remembrance event. To record the names of those lost to anti-transgender violence, Smith also launched the Remembering Our Dead project, which is kept updated to this day at www.transgenderdor.org. The list of victims honored on the site has grown to just over 300.
Candlelight vigils, rallies, public actions, and events at local community centers will be taking place across the country (and internationally) on Friday the 20th. For a comprehensive listing of events and locations visit www.transgenderdor.org. GLAAD is encouraging journalists to highlight the Day of Remembrance with stories about the pervasive violence, discrimination, and prejudice transgender and gender non-conforming people face in our society. We also encourage stories highlighting the diversity and resilience of the community in the face of such hardship and the victories they have won.
This year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance may have cause for more optimism than in the past with the historic passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law on October 28th. This bill is the first piece of federal legislation to include protections for transgender Americans, and it sends a strong message that targeting transgender people for violence is never okay.
For more story ideas and reports on hate violence, you can view our 2009 Transgender Day of Remembrance Journalist Resource Kit.
Please join GLAAD as we dedicate this week’s blogs to remembering those lost to anti-transgender violence and to exploring what the Transgender Day of Remembrance means to those working for change.
Related Posts:President Obama Signs Expanded Federal Hate Crimes Bill into Law
October 28, 2009
As President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act at the White House this afternoon, civil rights advocates and the families of those who have been victims of anti-LGBT hate crimes expressed their pride and thanks for the promise of federal consequences for any and all such future crimes, while noting that this landmark is not an endpoint.
First introduced in 1996 after the brutal killing of college student Matthew Shepard, the bill passed the senate on October 22 with a 68-29 vote, and has finally landed on the President’s desk after a 13-year struggle. It is now a federal hate crime to assault an individual based on the person’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation. As NPR’s Ari Shapiro reported, the new law will also allow the Justice Department to help state and local officials prosecute hate crimes by providing funding and personnel assistance.
Later this evening, President Obama will host a signing ceremony in the East Room, accompanied by Attorney General Eric Holder, LGBT advocates, lawmakers, and families of past hate crime victims. In addition to Matthew Shepard’s family, the families of Sean Kennedy and Jimmy Wheeler – both victims of anti-gay beatings which led to their deaths – will also be in attendance.
While President Obama reserved extensive commentary about the signing until this evening’s event, he prefaced it by saying:
“After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we’ve passed inclusive hate-crime legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are.”
Jimmy’s mother, Susan Wheeler, appeared on CNN’s The Situation Room on Tuesday and shared her feelings on the legislation: “I feel like this is a triumph for not just members of the gay community, but for us a civilization. It shows that we value all life.”
Sean’s mother, Elke Kennedy, who has received media training and advice from GLAAD during the past two years she has spent educating communities and schools about LGBT harassment and violence, told CNN, “This is a huge milestone, but it is not the end of the fight.”
In GLAAD’s statement today, president Jarrett Barrios said of the law’s passage:
“This is a landmark step in eliminating the kind of hate motivated violence that has taken the lives of so many in our community including Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard, Fred Martinez, Gwen Araujo, Sakia Gunn, Sean Kennedy, Angie Zapata, Duanna Johnson, Lateisha Green and so many others. The visibility of these tragic losses and the conversations that they sparked brought us to today’s historic step toward ending this violence.”
You can view GLAAD’s full statement here.
Related Posts:As Hate Crimes Continue, Need for LGBT Protections Increases
October 13, 2009
This weekend’s widely publicized National Equality March called on activists and government officials alike to take action to end inequality.
Already at least one issue of LBGT equality appears very close to resolution – the expansion of federal hate crime legislation to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. One accomplishment that President Obama shared at the HRC Gala Dinner on Friday evening included the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act through the House of Representatives last week, as reported by The New York Times last Thursday. Attached to the National Defense and Authorization Act of 2009 in July, the bill is now expected to pass the Senate as well, and land on the President’s desk within the week.
The Colorado Independent quoted the bill’s cosponsoring Congresswoman Diana Degette (D-CO):
When signed by President Obama, this will be the first federal law specifically protecting LGBT Americans. This Act will provide state and local law enforcement agencies with resources they need to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, while also protecting the exercise of free speech under our Constitution.
However, no sooner had the march concluded in Washington, D.C. than The New York Times and the New York Daily News were back reporting on the beating of a gay man in College Point, Queens as he left his neighborhood deli early Friday morning. The man is being treated for a fractured jaw, ribs, and lacerated spleen but is now in stable condition. Police have categorized the assault as a hate crime based on New York State legislation, which does classify crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation as hate crimes.
There is currently no similar classification, at either the state or national level, for crimes motivated by a victim’s gender identity. This gaping legal hole was most recently exposed by the verbal and physical attacks endured by Carmella Etienne, a transgender woman who shared her story of assault at last week’s Transgender Hate Crimes panel in Brooklyn. Etienne, also attacked in her own neighborhood in Queens, had rocks and empty beer bottles hurled at her by a group of young men, who taunted her with antigay and transphobic slurs. As The New York Times’ CityRoom blog reports:
The attackers’ use of homophobic slurs could be used to prosecute them under New York State’s hate crime law, but the taunts about her gender identity would not be covered under that statute.
Similarly, when 22-year-old Lateisha Green was shot last year in a car in Syracuse simply for being a transgender woman, her attack could only be categorized as a hate crime based on the antigay slurs from her assailant.
According to Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, which represented both Carmella Etienne and the Green family, a “hate crime charge could mean the difference between a one-day jail sentence and a minimum three-and-a-half-year sentence.”
We will continue to keep you informed about media coverage of inclusive hate crimes legislation at both national and state levels.
Related Posts:Transgender Hate Crimes Panel Provides Personal Stories as well as Advocacy Insight
October 8, 2009
Wednesday evening’s panel on transgender hate-crimes in Brooklyn, New York, covered a range of perspectives and issues as victims, their families, and advocates discussed both their direct experience with bias-motivated crime and their work to educate the media, the government and law enforcement about gender identity and expression and anti-transgender crimes.
The event began with GLAAD’s own Senior Media Strategist Andy Marra and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund’s executive director Michael Silverman relating the complications and they faced during their recent work in Syracuse, N.Y. during the July trial held for Lateisha Green’s murder. First, they encountered the unfortunately common problem of law enforcement officials and reporters relaying incorrect information about the victim’s identity and dress; next came the prolonged effort to ensure that the crime was investigated as a hate crime and given the priority investigation status it merited; and finally, the complex issue of educating the media about Lateisha Green’s transgender identity while fighting in court, out of necessity, for a conviction under the category of a hate-crime committed on the basis of sexual orientation.
As explained in the Appendix of TLDEF’s Violence Against Transgender People Resource Kit, while New York State law classifies it as a hate crime for an individual to target and attack a victim because of the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, it does not explicitly make it a hate crime for an individual to attack another because of the victim’s gender identity or expression. The Boy in Bushwick blog quoted Michael Silverman describing how lawyers had to construct a “narrative that Teish was gay or lesbian to achieve a conviction.”
Federal law currently offers no recourse in that area either, though that seems about to change within just a few weeks when the Senate is expected to pass the new Defense Authorization bill with the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act attached – which will expand the existing federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
The discussion then quickly moved to the first-hand experiences of Lateisha’s mother Roxanne Green, brother Mark Cannon (also shot by Lateisha’s killer that night), and friends, who all conveyed their great love for and pride in Lateisha. Mrs. Green spoke very movingly about her constant concern for her daughter as she grew up, as well as her constant support for her, [advising] parents to always support their children no matter who they are “because once they’re gone, Lord knows there’s no turning back.”
Another client of TLDEF’s, Carmella Etienne, shared her more recent trauma of being attacked with rocks and beer bottles as she walked home from her neighborhood grocery store in Queens this July. She recalled feeling most scarred not by the physical objects or the transphobic slurs being hurled at her, but rather by the lack of aid from onlookers and the 20 minutes she spent waiting for police assistance.
One of the major take-aways from the conversation was that there is no one single reason for the perpetration and general tolerance of crimes motivated by anti-transgender bias. It is not simply transphobia, or sexism alone at work, but rather the way that those issues are intertwined with issues of classism and racism that have allow crimes such as these to continue in our communities. But speaking out about these experiences and intersections will go a long way toward solving these problems.
The panel was moderated by Ejay Carter, the Empire State Pride Agenda’s Transgender Rights Program Organizer. The event was organized by Laura Vogel, a Legal Fellow at TLDEF and third year law student at Brooklyn Law School and cosponsored by Brooklyn Law School, Empire State Pride Agenda, GLAAD, Queens Pride House, Anti-Violence Project, and the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA).
Related Posts:Epilogue to “The Laramie Project” to Premiere on Anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s Murder
August 4, 2009
The New York Times reports that nearly a decade after the premiere of “The Laramie Project”, the group that created it is preparing an 80 minute epilogue to the play that addressed how a town coped when they were put in the spotlight following the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a college student who was murdered because he was gay.
Last year, members of the Tectonic Theater Project returned to Laramie, Wyoming, the site of murder, and re-interviewed the same people who took part in the original conversations on which the play was based.
The epilogue, titled “The Laramie Project – 10 Years Later”, explores the impact of the killings on Laramie, and the impact that it had on the dozens of people who were interviewed. In an attempt to defend their town, some of the people interviewed seemed to suggest that the incident was more complicated than a hate crime, while others said that the murderers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, were driven primarily by their disdain for gay people.
The members of Tectonic set out to reflect upon these different perspectives coming from the same community. Moisés Kaufman, the playwright and director of “The Laramie Project”, said, “It’s a fallacy to try to define Laramie the way one would describe an individual. There are 27,000 people in Laramie. There are at least 27,000 Laramies.”
During his time in Laramie last year, Kaufman interviewed McKinney, who, along with Henderson, is serving two consecutive life sentences. Kaufman declined to reveal the details of that particular interview, but did release a video with excerpts from some of the other interviews. 
The play will debut on October 12, 2009, exactly eleven years after Shepard was murdered. Tectonic’s goal is to recruit 100 regional theaters, universities, and organizations to hold readings of the epilogue. Forty theaters have already signed on, including the Seattle Repertory Theater, the Berkeley Repertory Theater, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. It is unclear whether or not there will be a performance in Laramie, but the Tectonic company will hold its performance at the Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
Related Posts:Senate Votes to Advance Hate Crimes Bill
July 17, 2009
As GLAAD reported yesterday, the Senate took up the issue of hate crimes this week. Late Thursday night the Senate voted 63-28 to end debate on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the Associated Press reports. The act was adopted as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill and broadens hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disabilities.
The Advocate reports that President Obama, who supports the Matthew Shepard Act, has threatened to veto the Department of Defense authorization bill because of the $1.75 billion in funding for F-22 fighter jets. White House spokesperson Shin Inouye said:
“The President has long supported the hate crimes bill and gave his personal commitment to Judy Shepard that we will enact an inclusive bill. Unfortunately, the President will have to veto the Defense Authorization bill if it includes wasteful spending for additional F-22s… A Presidential veto would not indicate any change in President Obama’s commitment to seeing the hate crimes bill enacted.”
A Senate aide said that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is confident that the legislation will pass. The aide said that the vote on the Matthew Shepard Act was good and that “Senator Reid is hopeful that we can keep this language in the final bill.”
The Department of Defense authorization bill could go up for a vote as early as Monday.
GLAAD will continue to monitor media coverage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Related Posts:Hate Crimes Bill Attached to Defense Bill; Senate May Vote This Week
July 16, 2009
The New York Times reported early this week that Senate Democrats announced that they had attached the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the annual defense authorization bill. The Matthew Shepard Act broadens federal hate crimes law to protect the victims of attacks that are based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disabilities.
The Senate approved inclusive hate crimes legislation last year (also attached to defense bill), but it was not reconciled with a similar House passed bill. According to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who is spearheading the bill, the Matthew Shepard Act has been pending in the Senate for more than a decade. At the request of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and the Republican Members of the Judiciary Committee, Leahy held hearings on the Shepard Act last month.
The House passed a similar hate crimes bill, H.S. 1913, in April with a vote of 249 to 175. The Senate’s bill is likely to be passed but faces a veto from President Obama. The President supports the Matthew Shepard Act, but has been urging the Senate to remove provisions to purchase seven additional F-22 fighter jets from the defense bill.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) spoke out in favor of the Hate Crimes Bill. He was joined by Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, who said that anti-LGBT hate crimes are on the rise and passing the bill would show “a great message of respect” to victims of these crimes.
The anti-gay Family Research Council has released a video in which Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) & Sen. Jim Demint (R-SC) denounced hate crimes protections, making the false (and often repeated) claim that the Matthew Shepard Act would impede religious liberties.
The Associated Press reports that U.S. Senators took to the floor to debate the issue on Wednesday, which is said to have its best chances in years because of the current political climate. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Harry Reid got into a brief argument on the Senate floor when McCain said that adding this amendment to the defense bill is an “abuse of power” and called it “extraneous”. Reid asked McCain “where has he been in the past” when the Matthew Shepard Act was attached to the same bill with a Republican President in power.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) confronted questions from Senators who reiterated the anti-gay notions of Tony Perkins and Pat Robertson, who say that this bill will somehow stamp on religious liberties. He said that the bill “does not criminalize speech or hateful thoughts. It seeks only to punish violent action that undermines the core values of our nation.”
Senators could vote on this legislation as early as next week. Organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the National Center for Transgender Equality are urging people to contact their Senators to tell them to pass this important hate crimes bill.
GLAAD will continue to monitor media coverage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Related Posts:Man Arrested In Connection With Anti-Gay Robberies in N.Y.
July 15, 2009
Driton Nicaj, a 19-year old Manhattan man, was arrested last Friday in connection with a string of anti-gay robberies that took place on the Upper East Side in May and June. Nicaj is being held on charges of aggravated harassment and robbery as a hate crime.
According to Paul J. Browne, the NY Police Department’s chief spokesman, Nicaj confessed to being involved in at least one of the attacks during the one month span during which Nicaj and a group of men beat, robbed and yelled anti-gay slurs at multiple victims. Police are still in search of at least four other as yet unnamed suspects in connection with the crimes.
One of the assaults occurred during NYC’s Pride Week celebrations and targeted former Village Voice staffer Joseph Holladay, who was hospitalized after being beaten and left unconscious.
Local newspaper Our Town reported that another of the victims was approached by a group of four men while sitting on a park bench with a male friend. The men asked, “Are you guys gay? Gross.” and proceeded to mug the victims.
Cases of violence like this against the LGBT community underscore the need for exhaustive federal hate crime legislation like the Matthew Shepard Act to combat the pervasive problem of hate-motivated crimes. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, reports of violence against LGBT people have increased in severity across the country, reaching the highest rates in more than a decade. Seventeen percent of last year’s anti-gay murders were committed in the New York City area alone.
In a letter to the editor in The New York Times, NYC Anti-Violence Project’s Executive Director Sharon Stapel stated:
“The Matthew Shepard Act, which if passed by the Senate would expand the 1968 federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes, is long overdue (editorial, May 6).
In today’s world, which is so diverse, we cannot condone violence based on actual or perceived identity. If we do, we are all vulnerable.
At the New York City Anti-Violence Project, we know that more is needed. We also must stop the violence from happening in the first place. This requires public education and training of first responders and law enforcement.
We know in New York that hate-crimes protection can be a powerful tool in prosecuting crimes, but it does not prevent them. Each year we see violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities increase, despite this legislation.
To prosecute these crimes is one way to vindicate the lives of those who died because of who they are, and we have an obligation to do so. But to truly eradicate violence, we have to go beyond punitive measures to preventive ones, so that we don’t lose another Matthew Shepard to this senseless violence.”
The timing of these violent crimes in relation to the 40 Year Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots is a startling reminder of the importance of inclusive hate crime legislation in securing the safety and well-being of LGBT individuals.
For more information on how to support the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, check out The Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Related Posts:CNN Reporter’s Misleading Statement about Matthew Shepard Act Debunked
June 26, 2009
Today, Media Matters for America debunked CNN’s Deborah Feyerick’s misleading allegation that the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act would have any impact on an individual’s right to freedom of speech.
Feyerick reported on the June 25 edition of The Situation Room that the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R.1913) “could be used to criminalize conservative speech on abortion or homosexuality.”
As noted by Media Matters, Feyerick did not point out that the bill specifically stipulates in Section 10 that:
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionality protected speech, expressive conduct or activities (regardless of whether compelled by, or central to, a system of religious beliefs)…
[and] Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow prosecution based solely upon an individual’s expression of racial, religious, political, or other beliefs or solely pon an individual’s membership in a group advocating or espousing such beliefs.
Feyerick also neglected to report that Attorney General Eric Holder, in a prepared statement, explicitly clarified to the Senate Judiciary Committee in a June 25 hearing that the bill:
…could be used only to investigate or prosecute discriminatory acts of violence causing bodily injury (or attempts to commit such violent acts) and thus could never be used to investigate or prosecute mere association or expressions of beliefs, no matter how offensive those beliefs might be….
Nor did Feyerick make clear that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) also stressed to the Senate that the bill “does not target pure speech, however offensive or disagreeable.”
Feyerick’s mischaracterization of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act promotes the misleading scare tactics of anti-gay activists that are designed to perpetuate fears and misconceptions about federal hate crimes laws aimed to protect individuals against anti-LGBT violence.
Given CNN’s strong track record of fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues, it is disappointing to see Feyerick mislead viewers with claims that have been explicitly and repeatedly identified by lawmakers as inaccurate.
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