House Passes Key Hate Crimes Bill

[ismnotwasm]

The US House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday, October 8, 2009, on a 281 to 146 vote that will expand the definition of "hate crimes" under federal laws. The act expands federal hate crime laws to include crimes where the victims were targeted on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability. According to the Washington Post, 131 Republicans and 15 Democrats voted against the bill.

According to the New York Times, the bill, known as the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, is attached to a military policy bill that authorizes military pay and weapons programs, among other provisions. Republican Representative Todd Akin (MO-2), who is a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, called the addition of the hate crimes legislation to the military spending bill a "poison pill."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told the Washington Post "Monday is the 11th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard, and we want in the same week of that tragic event to call the public's attention once again to people acting upon their hatred in a violent way."
http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11976


Tragic as well as sadly ironic to have to get something this important passed riding on a military spending bill isn't it?

But damn, what's up with this shit--"poison pill"? What the hell? Republicans no longer surprise me, but what an hateful idiot.

[bliss_eternal]

1. So this is final ...?

I'm so pleased to see this passed. :bounce:
It makes me hopeful for a future where transgendered, gay and bisexual kids, don't have to fear their rights not being defended (after an attack).

Matthew Shephard, Brandon Teena, Gwen Araujo should not have died just for being who they were. I'm hopeful for a day when others like them won't be terrorized at the hands of the hateful.

[femrap]

2. Did Obama sign this

legislation this week?

My question is this: Is rape of a woman who is heterosexual now a Hate Crime? Or only bi or lesbian woman?

I've never understood how rape was not a crime of hate.

But then this a patriarchy....

[ThomCat]

3. Re: rape and hate crime status

Rape of bi women or lesbians will not automatically be hate crimes. It would not be a hate crime unless there was evidence of a lot of harassment and threats aimed at the victim because she is bi or a lesbian, or because she is perceived to be bi or a lesbian. That would be the generally accepted proof that she was targeted because of her sexuality. Then the DA could consider upgrading the rape charges to hate crime status.

Unfortunately, They'll avoid upgrading to hate crimes in many cases regardless of the evidence of harassment and threats based on sexuality or perceived sexuality. A lot of DAs just don't believe in hate crimes, or don't want the extra publicity of hate crime prosecutions, or avoid them hate crime charges for whatever other reasons we'll probably never really hear about.

I definitely agree with you that rape of straight women should also be eligible for hate crime status. The level of outright hatred of women in general that is expressed through rape, or through additional harassment and threats by rapists should qualify for hate crime status.

As an entirely separate issue though, Unfortunately, I think your post seems to express some bitterness that bi women and lesbians are betting some protection because straight women aren't getting it too. I hope I am reading this wrong and seeing something that isn't there. Please feel free to correct me.

[femrap]

4. Rape of women is rape....

but I see the legislation as 'hate crime exists only for bi or lesbian women.' Am I reading it wrong?

It's just more divide and conquer.

I want to move to France....or a unisex planet in my next life.

[ThomCat]

5. That seems to ignore the existance of homophobia

and violence against lesbians and bisexual women, and, for that matter, transgendered women too. The bigotry and violence directed at women for being bisexual or lesbian or transgendered or not trivial and should not be dismissed or ignored.

Would you similarly say that when black women are raped, being black never has anything to do with it and the role of racism should be ignored? :(

If you are so willing to strip out any concern for the role of homophobia, or for the damage that homophobia does when it results in women getting raped, then doesn't that also justify someone else doing the same thing with other prejudices? Like sexism?

If you take the view that "rape is rape" and extend your view to its conclusion then how is that different that the view a lot of men take when they say rape is just an assault, and that it should be treated just like any other simple assault?

I really have to say, Please do not discount or dismiss the role of cumulative and layered prejudices. The feminist movement has often been criticized, rightly, or being a straight, white middle class women's movement in the past and for talking from a perspective that only addresses straight, white middle class women. A lot of feminists have fought very hard to open up the movement to all women, done a lot of research and writing to add wider perspectives, studied the intersections of sexism with all the other prejudices that women face, and they would strongly disagree with any attempt to close it off again.

[ismnotwasm]

6. Here is the bill

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2010/Division_E

(By the way, while googling for this, I found some horrendously disgusting websites, with titles like "familyvalues" Blech. Puke)

The rape of women is so prevalent that the rape of a bi or Lesbian women, simply because she's bi or a Lesbian, is tossed in with the rest of female rapes. Not only is this wrong, but it's a insidious area, where rape culture can have it's own growth medium, like 'rape as war crime' Or racial rape. The Duke case comes to mind, not the guilt or innocence of those young men, but the national portrayal of the Black Female. I often think of her, about how she might be doing.

Rape is a war crime and is used as a war crime. Fighting rape is also a war in itself, with many fronts. Like the transgendered. How many victims have been dismissed, or even laughed at, by police? I can't even begin to imagine that hell of no one to turn to and no place to go.

To truly fight rape, and rape culture, IMO, we need to attack it from every area, every aspect, turn over every rock, and seal every crack where it might grow. We have an entrenched heterosexist society with a kind of binary gender perception. This suits rape culture just fine. Perfect opportunity to create any number of 'others'

One time in America it was legal for men to rape their wives. Not so long ago was it? And it's still legal in some countries.

To pursue a hate crime on a double front of gender and sexual orientation would be problematic perhaps, but I'd like to see it happen. Of course I'd like to see no rape at all first.

http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/dworkin/WarZoneChaptIIIE.html

[femrap]

7. Do you

think rape is a hate crime or not? Do you see it as a misogynist act?

Women are women. And as Shirley Chisholm said, 'Men are men.'

I don't buy into your 'divide and conquer' of women....be they Black, Brown, bi-sexual, etc.

I believe rape is rape....a woman-hating act.

And for a male to sit there and judge how women should think about rape is just more than I can stomach.

The MSM said that The Feminist Movement was white and middle class. And you believe them?

If there are men out there saying rape is just an assault, I guess I haven't met them or read their BS.

Women who are afraid of rape (work at night, leaving the library at universities at night), need to be proactive. Statistics show that many attempted attacks have been halted by the woman pulling her weapon.

Chew on that.

[ismnotwasm]

8. You misunderstand me

Rape is a hate crime against women. Raping a lesbian woman because she is 1)a Lesbian 2) A woman is also a hate crime, with the added element of homophobia/hatred.

In forensic nursing, the GBLT community is considered grossly under-served. What if a big, butch bull dyke--to use current nomenclature-- is raped? What will the societal and judicial response will be? Do you think it the same as if she was a white middle class straight women? What would the police see, a judge, a jury?

In fact, we don't have to go there. Prostitutes get raped every day and many don't bother reporting it because they consider it an occupational hazard. What would the response be to a prostitute that was raped; in fact, what *is* the response? Under this law, bet you money prostitutes wouldn't be able to prosecute rape as a hate crime. Which is one of the cracks in the sidewalk rape culture grows in. And generally, prostitutes can and do fight off violent tricks.

What my point was, is to transform a rape culture, rape needs to be addressed from every experience, every aspect. Those experiences need to honored as valid, as meaningful, they matter. Every rape does.

There was a little flame fest recently about "men's issue's" The posters who wanted to talk about child support and alimony and the perfidy of women as "men's issues" were looking at a few small saplings in a forest of large trees. Rape is a major man's issue. Stopping rape is a major man's issue.

That being said, I'll listen to the opinion of a Gay man about the Gay community, I'm white and and straight with all the entitlement that signifies, and I believe, I truly believe I have a responsibility to face my own entitlement where I find it.