It's that simply and that difficult. We must teach youngsters how to get along, how to play with others who are different. That's the thoughtful, encouraging message Reno is spreading as we await the outcome of trial of the second of Shepard's accused killers. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Aaron McKinney, 22. She then shared her inspiring vision of an America in which every teacher and every police officer is trained to help children as young as kindergarten age not to bully or despise one another.
Hate is learned.
While tough, inclusive hate crimes laws alone won't stop every hateful thug, they're essential. Reno and President Clinton are pushing Congress to strengthen the federal hate crimes law and expand it to cover attacks based on sexual orientation, disability or gender. On Oct. 7, Clinton signed an executive order allowing military courts to stiffen sentences when a crime is motivated by anti-gay hatred or other bias. Unless hate crimes laws include sexual orientation, they send the message that gay people are fair game. In the year since Matt Shepard's murder, at least another 30 Americans have been killed simply because they were gay, bisexual or transgendered, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs reports.