TEN YEARS since Matt Shepard died: still no federal hate crime law

[Bluebear]

Matthew's mom has other disappointments on her list: The lack of a federal hate crime law; state laws restricting marriage to heterosexual couples; discrimination against gays in the workplace; and the government's refusal to grant gay couples the benefits afforded straight couples.

"What's OK about that?" Shepard asked. "Nothing."



CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Matthew Shepard's mother still mourns lost opportunities to battle hate crimes and promote a greater tolerance of gays in the 10 years since her 21-year-old son was beaten, tied to a wooden fence and left for dead in a frigid Wyoming pasture.

Though Congress has not passed a federal hate crime law, Judy Shepard is buoyed by enhanced punishments for crimes based on sexual orientation in 31 states and the District of Columbia.

"Ten years have gone by and not that much has changed, and I think that's just really disappointing," said Shepard, who with her husband formed the Matthew Shepard Foundation to promote equality for the gay community.

"We passed up a golden opportunity to set things in motion and make a change and set an example and let it go," she said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hUmscaJEWbsLqTXr7tKTevwWLaiAD93NQ3300