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The Act of Hate Crime is Introuced to the U.S House of Representatives
101st Congress - The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was also introduced in the 99th and 100th congresses. It would require the Department of Justice to collect and publish data about crimes motivated by hatred based on race, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. -
President Clinton devotes his wkly radio address to hate crims
President Clinton devotes his weekly radio address to hate crimes, specifically citing bias crimes against LGBT people. He asks Attorney General Janet Reno to review the laws concerning hate crimes and help the federal government develop a plan of action. -
A man named matthew Shepard from Wyoming gets beat up and dies from 2 men he met
Matthew Shepard, 21, of Laramie, Wyo., meets two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, at a bar, and they drive him to a remote area east of Laramie, where they tie him to a split-rail fence, beat him and leave him to die in the cold of the night. Almost 18 hours later, he is found by a cyclist, who initially mistakes him for a scarecrow. -
President Clinton Reminds the citizens about the Hate Crime Prevention Acts
President Clinton mentions the passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act among his priorities in his State of the Union address. -
Celebrities introduce famillies who's relaties got affected by the Hate Crimes during a big concert
Celebrities and 45,000 people gather at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., for HRC's Equality Rocks concert. One of the most powerful moments comes when HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch introduces Dennis and Judy Shepard and several other families who have been affected by hate crimes. They include Louvon Harris and Darrell Varrett, the sister and nephew of James Byrd Jr.; Chuck and Eleanor Kadish, parents of Ben Kadish, a young boy seriously injured when a man carried out a violent rampage -
MTV airs shuts programming for 17 hours to fun a list of the names of victims of the hate crime
MTV airs a movie about the murder of Matthew Shepard and shuts down programming for 17 hours to run a list of the names of hundreds of victims of hate crimes. More than 50,000 people send e-mails or signed petitions urging Congress and the Bush administration to support the hate crimes bill. -
Following the attacks of Sep.11, hate-related incidents are directed at Muclims and Middle Eastern people
Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, scores of hate-related incidents are directed at Muslims and people who appear to be of Middle Eastern descent. HRC works with allies to address these incidents and respond to the targeted communities. President Bush and federal law enforcement authorities speak out against these crimes and launch probes into more than 200 incidents across the country. -
HRC produces a two-minute video to support people who had been injured for killed by hate violence
HRC produces a two-minute video in support of the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act. It features the stories of LGBT people who been injured or killed by hate violence: Evan Kittredge, Fred Martinez and Matthew Shepard. Using images from photojournalist Lynn Johnson with Cyndi Lauper’s song "All Through the Night," the video is a poignant call for people to get involved in the fight to pass hate crimes legislation. -
President Obama meets with Judy Shepard
President Obama meets with Judy Shepard and reiterates his commitment to ensuring that the Senate finalize the hate crimes bill. -
Barack Obama signs the Mattew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes prevention Act into law
President Barack Obama signs the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law (as a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act). Before signing the legislation, President Obama says, "I promised Judy Shepard when I saw her in the Oval Office that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband Dennis could join us for this event." View photos and video of the bill signing.