Matthew Shepard act passes

WASHINGTON– In an historic step toward equality for GLBT Americans, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the Matthew Shepard Act, which updates and expands the federal hate crimes laws to include bias motivated violence based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability, and provides new resources and tools to assist local law enforcement in prosecuting vicious crimes.

Cool.

Read more here at the Human Rights Campaign.

Give a rouse to the eight (8) Republican Senators that stepped up to the plate to protect GLBT people from violence based on simply who they are: John Warner (VA), Richard Lugar (IN), Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), George Voinovich (OH), Arlen Specter (PA), Norm Coleman (MN), and Gordon Smith (OR). These are the "good guys." (Uh, except Norm Coleman. He is simply getting very worried about quite annoyed Minnesota voters in 2008!)

(Thank you, Badlands Blue, for that list.)

Sen. John Thune, again on the wrong side of an issue. Please feel free to call his office (202-224-2321) and let him know that his vote did not reflect South Dakota values of mutual respect--and leaving people the @#$% alone.