With a rise in hate violence across the country, a new report from the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and 16 leading civil rights organizations provides a groundbreaking analysis of state and federal hate crime laws. The report features a foreword by Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard and Board/Chair President of the Matthew Shephard Foundation. Read the report here.
The report provides a comprehensive look at both the opportunities and limitations of hate crime laws as a means of preventing and addressing hate violence. While responding to hate violence is imperative, the report finds that hate crime laws across the country are inconsistent and provide complex and incomplete methods of addressing hate violence. This analysis comes amid a spike in hate crimes in recent years–and as the country is examining racial justice and racial bias in our criminal justice system.
“We’re proud to partner on this report that details the patchwork landscape of hate crimes laws and names some of the ways they often fail to address community needs for accountability, justice, and safety. As the report clearly demonstrates, these laws tend to have a disproportionate impact on already marginalized populations in the way they interact with a flawed carceral system. Equality Federation will continue to work with policymakers, allies, and communities to find meaningful, equitable responses to hate violence targeting LGBTQ people, especially those LGBTQ people at the intersection of multiple axes of identity-based oppression.” – Fran Hutchins, Executive Director
