Hate Crimes

Friday was historic for LGBT Americans as President Obama signed into law a hate crimes bill that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. But some among Minnesota’s religious right didn’t receive the news warmly, saying the law will bring the wrath of God down on America, that Obama is an “anti-Christian radical” and that the bill was a plot by “homosexuals” to silence Christians.

President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard Act into law on Wednesday ending a decade of efforts by LGBT and human rights groups to get sexual orientation and gender identity included in federal hate crime laws.

The U.S. Senate passed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday with the controversial Matthew Shepard Act attached. The act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal hate crimes laws. The bill now heads to the desk of President Obama, who at last week’s Human Rights Campaign dinner promised LGBT advocates he’d [...]

Minneapolis’ First Avenue appears to have canceled an Oct. 4 concert by controversial Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton after the Minnesota Independent inquired about the appearance. Banton, whose lyrics have advocated killing gay men — both with submachine guns and by pouring acid on them — has had a handful of shows canceled by venues after pressure from the public.

Sen. Al Franken announced Tuesday that he has signed on to the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing hate crime laws which outlaw bias crimes based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin. The bill was introduced in April. Sen. [...]

A report released Tuesday by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs shows a 2 percent increase nationally in hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in 2008. In Minnesota and much of the Midwest, hate crime numbers increased substantially in 2008.

Some graduating seniors at Rep. Erik Paulsen’s alma mater, St. Olaf College in Northfield, will be protesting the freshman congressman at next week’s commencement. Students will be pinning gold ribbons to their graduation gowns to protest commencement speaker Paulsen’s vote against including sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal hate crimes law.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed the U.S. House Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 249 to 175. The bill, which extends existing hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation, gender identity and disability, passed mainly along party lines with Republicans in opposition and Democrats supporting the bill.
Among Minnesota’s Congressional delegation, Rep. [...]

Rep. Michele Bachmann spoke out against federal hate crimes bill being considered on the U.S. House floor on Wednesday by conflating gays and lesbians with pedophiles, and saying that the bill would protect pedophiles from hate crimes.

Vandals spray-painted a swath of anti-gay messages on several buildings, on sidewalks and even trees and bushes Wednesday morning, amid Hamline University’s Rainbow Week, a series of events designed to raise the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.