We are down to the wire on the federal hate crimes bill (H.R.1592).
This Thursday, May 3, the federal hate crime bill is scheduled to be voted on in the U.S. House. We really have a chance to pass this life-saving law this year.
But what we are hearing today is that the radical right has turned their lie machine on force blast and turned out their followers. Members of Congress and their staff are telling us that the people who hate us, who are lying about us, are contacting Congress in greater numbers than we are. That’s not unusual, but it is very dangerous. It is not unusual because that’s what they do: they scare their followers into calling their representatives in Congress. It is very dangerous because it could work this time.
What YOU Can Do
1. Find your member of Congress and call him or her.
2. Sign our petition supporting the hate crimes bill by clicking here.
3. Support the passage of this bill by joining us for NCTE’s annual Lobby Day on May 14-15!
More Background
The Traditional Values Coalition is calling this bill the homosexual/Drag Queen bill. They claim that Congress has declared April “Drag Queen Month.” They have even created what they call a comic in which they lie about us and our motives and even use a picture of NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling speaking with Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin at a recent Congressional hearing (although Mara claims their camera has added weight to her). View their website here: http://traditionalvalues.org/comics/042607/index.php
They claim that this bill is meant to restrict free speech and religious expression. This is not correct. NCTE has been part of the drafting process of this bill for several years and I promise you, great care was taken to insure that even hateful speech by people like the Traditional Values Coalition is fully protected. NCTE and all of our civil rights partners would not be supporting it otherwise. We believe that radical right wing hate groups as well as mainstream opponents have a right to say hateful things about us. The law ONLY applies when a physically violent crime is commited.
Make no mistakes-something about which they are not lying-when a person who performs as a drag queen is murdered for her gender identity or sexual orientation, which happens with frightening frequency, this bill would include the crime against her, just as it would any other HUMAN BEING. That is how it should be.
Let’s get this law passed. Please call your member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Thanks.
With well over 100 participants from 28 states already signed up, this will be a major gathering of transgender people and our allies. We need as many people as possible to come to Washington, DC to speak with our members of Congress about the need to pass federal anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation. Won’t you join us? More information is available on our Lobby Day web page along with an online regislation form.
- Monday, May 14, 2007
3:00pm – 5:00pm: Training at HRC Equality Forum Room, 1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC - 7:30pm – 9:30pm: Moving Forward Together, Reception at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC
- Tuesday, May 15, 2007
9:00am – 4:30pm, Rally and Lobby Day Visits on Capitol Hill - Tuesday, May 15, 2007
9:00am – 4:30pm, Rally and Lobby Day Visits on Capitol Hill
About NCTE
The National Center for Transgender Equality is a national social justice organization devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues of importance to transgender people. The National Center for Transgender Equality is a 501(c)3 organization. For more information, please visit our web site.