Oct
28
JRC Applauds Obama Signing Hate Crimes Bill Into Law
ByPRESS RELEASE
October 29 2009
CONTACT:
Ron Buckmire, JRC Board President
323.314.2949
buckmire@jordanrustin.org
LOS ANGELES BLACK LGBT POLITICAL ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION APPLAUDS PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA FOR SIGNING HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT INTO LAW.
(Los Angeles, CA, October 28, 2009) The Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition (Jordan/Rustin Coalition or JRC), the premier organization devoted to advocating for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) African-American community in greater Los Angeles, applauded President Barack Obama for signing landmark legislation to expand protections against hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity or disability today.
JRC Board Chair Ron Buckmire commented, “By this historic act, President Obama has made it clear that LGBT citizens are just as deserving of protection from identity-based persecution under the law as other minorities. As someone who is a member of multiple categories covered under this statute because I am Black and gay, I feel safer today.”
The Mathew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act signed into law today by the nation’s first African-American President is the first piece of federal legislation to expand the civil rights of the LGBT community in our nation’s history. For the first time ever, the words “gender identity” will appear in federal legislation, and the federal government will have the power to investigate crimes which are motivated by bias based on the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Thanks to President Obama, members of the LGBT community have more civil rights today than they did yesterday,” said JRC board member Milton Davis. “Today is a great day to be an American.”
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ABOUT the Barbara Jordan / Bayard Rustin Coalition
The mission of the Barbara Jordan / Bayard Rustin Coalition (or Jordan Rustin Coalition) is to empower Black same-gender loving, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families in Greater Los Angeles, to promote equal marriage rights and to advocate for fair treatment ofeveryone without regard to race, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.