Rabbi Guttman: Hate crime legislation essential

Maybe you've heard the story of Matthew Shepard, the unwilling martyr of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Nine years ago this month, Shepard, a college freshman in Laramie, Wyo., was pistol-whipped, robbed and tied to a fencepost along a Wyoming back road. Savagely beaten and barely alive, Shepard died five days later as a result of severe head trauma.



Although Shepard's murder was a clear example of homophobia-driven violence, local law enforcement in Laramie lacked the funds to prosecute the attack as a hate crime, furloughing five officers to cover the costs of the case. Had Shepard been killed as a result of his race or religion, the Laramie law enforcement could have requested federal assistance in prosecuting his murder as a hate crime.



As it was, such federal intervention was not an option. Why? The answer is both simple and simply maddening: Crimes committed as a result of victim's sexual orientation, no matter how brutal, are ineligible for federal intervention. Under the current legislation's restrictive criteria, struggling local authorities are only eligible to receive help from the federal government in prosecuting hate crimes when the victim is targeted as a result of race, religion or national origin.



In August, the Senate passed the Matthew Shepard Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. In a press release, bill sponsor Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., likened domestic hate crimes to international terrorism: "There is no reason why Congress should not act to strengthen our defenses against hate that occurs here at home," he wrote.


Hate is neither a religious nor American value. Opposition to such crucial protective legislation is a moral affront to the values of a country that promises liberty and justice for all.

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