Local News

Watch this powerful new video of Judy's personal story, and take action on the hate crimes bill now!

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – released a video today as part of the effort to pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA) featuring Judy Shepard whose son Matthew was murdered in 1998 because he was gay.

 

“It’s been ten years since Judy Shepard lost her son Matthew and this video is a painful reminder that the federal government does not have the resources it needs to assist in prosecuting these horrific acts,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Since Matthew’s murder, tens of thousands of Americans have been victims of hate violence and it’s time to give local law enforcement the tools to combat this scourge.”

 

Tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will mark up the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA), also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. The bill would give the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence by providing the department with jurisdiction over crimes of violence where the victim is chosen because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

 

The video profiles the stories of hate crimes victims who were targeted because of who they are.  They include:

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• Angie Zapata who on a summer night in Greeley, Colorado, was bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher because she was transgender.
• Billy Ray Johnson a mentally disabled man from Texas who was taken to a party, ridiculed, knocked unconscious, and then dumped by the side of the road.
• Luis Ramirez who while walking home to his family in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, was beaten him to death by a group of young men yelling racial and ethnic epithets.
• Ryan Skipper of Eloise, Florida, who was robbed, driven to a dirt road and stabbed more than twenty times because he was gay.
• Sean Kennedy, a South Carolina man who died after he was assaulted by a man yelling anti-gay slurs. The state has no hate crime law and his attacker was sentenced to three years in prison.

We had a fun and informative evening, where we all got hands-on training in creating our own floral masterpieces. 

Thanks to all who attended, and of course, thanks to Dean and Keith! Be on the lookout for other great events coming up and plan on joining us at the theater for "A Chorus Line" in May and for the fabulous St. Louis Gala Dinner in October.

See you all at pride! Read More »

We are excited to unveil this newly re-designed web-page! This page will become a destination to find important information about the Human Rights Campaign St. Louis Steering Committee and its activities in the community. We will feature upcoming and past events, local news stories, photos, and opportunities to contact us and get involved. Check back often for the latest information on what’s happening in your community.