PFLAG Praises House Passage of Landmark Hate Crimes Legislation
Group Calls on Senate to Now Pass Integral Legislation

WASHINGTON, May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Parents, Families and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) applauded the House of Representatives
today for its passing of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention
Act (LLEHCPA), legislation that would extend federal law to cover crimes
motivated by hatred for people based on their gender, sexual orientation,
gender identity, or disability. LLEHCPA was introduced into the House of
Representatives as H.R. 1592, and passed today with a vote of 237-180.
"PFLAG applauds the House for meeting our challenge to protect all
Americans, especially our children," said John Cepek, National President of
PFLAG. "American families are concerned. Our gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender children of all ages deserve laws that protect them. With this
vote, Congress is sending a message that when it comes to stopping hate-
motivated crimes, everyone is included."
"Clearly, the next step is that the Senate must also accept the
challenge to protect our loved ones," said Jody M. Huckaby, PFLAG's
executive director. "We hope that Senators, too, will rise to challenge by
passing this historic expansion of civil rights."
Huckaby noted the thousands of PFLAG members who contacted their
representatives who helped to convince legislators that this is an issue
Americans care deeply about.
He added, "State laws are inadequate to respond to these crimes. Only
27 states and the District of Columbia have hate crimes laws inclusive of
sexual orientation, and only five of those and D.C.'s are expressly
transgender inclusive. We need an inclusive Federal law that protects
everybody. Now it is up to the Senate to make that happen."
PFLAG will continue to encourage its vast network of members to next
contact their Senators to encourage them to pass the legislation as well.
Visit http://www.pflag.org for updates on activities related to Hate Crimes
legislation and other related issues.
Editorial resources:
-- Learn more about the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention
Act (LLEHCPA) by visiting http://pflag.org/hatecrimes.html
-- Interviews with PFLAG leaders are available. Please contact
Jean-Marie Navetta at jnavetta@pflag.org or Adam Ratliff at
aratliff@pflag.org for more information.
About PFLAG -- Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
(PFLAG) is the nation's premier grassroots organization committed to the
civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) persons.
Founded in 1973 by heterosexual mothers and fathers, PFLAG has 500 chapters
and over 250,000 members and supporters throughout the United States.

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Man [...] must count no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth." (Jean Paul Sartre, 1943)