U.S. attorney general Eric Holder yesterday asked a Senate committee to support the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a bill that would expand current laws to protect victims targeted because of real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, among other things.
Bil at Bilerico reports, however, that according to a phone call he got “from a well placed source on Capital Hill,” the Act will be added to the Defense Authorization Bill.
Sound familiar? The same thing happened in late 2007 with a previous version of the Act. It was then removed from the defense bill during negotiations and thus died.
The analysis of this move has only just started. Circumstances are different under this administration, so the logic of attaching it to the defense bill is unclear. (This is starting to read like an episode of the West Wing, no?) Regardless, I think Bil is right to urge people to call their senators NOW and ask them to support the hate crimes bill, in case this move does indeed put it on shaky ground.
You can look up your Senator’s direct phone number here or call (202) 224-3121.