Hate crimes: Now punishable by USA federal law

Today, Wednesday October 28th 2009, US President Barack Obama signed that country's first hate crimes bill into legislation, marking a great moment in law of the USA.

This bill states tha tno individual should suffer from hate crimes based on their sexual preferences or because of their gender identity. Before, even though people who did these hate crimes could be punished by law, the charge was only about beating or assault. Now, it can have the real reason.

This bill, named in honor of Matthew Shepard (a gay man who was kidnapped and beaten to death in 1998) and James Byrd (a black man also killed in 1998), is expected to lower bigotry crimes.

About 77,000 hate crimes were reported from 1998 to 2007 by the FBI. That's almost one hate crime for every hour of every day for ten years!

While there is still a way to go before we can eradicate bigotry and hate crimes from the world (we may never be able to do so!) this bill will at least allow for people to walk down the streets being themselves and not having to fear being killed just for being who they are.