I send my condolences to his family and loved ones. Matthew's brutal murder was a tragedy, but, unfortunately, not an isolated incident. Harassment of gays, lesbians and bisexuals is not limited to one period in our history, or one region of the country. According to statistics kept by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence programs, at least 18 Americans were murdered in 1997 because they were gay or lesbian. Also last year, there were over 2400 reports of anti-gay or lesbian incidents in the United States.
Hate crimes take many forms and affect many different kinds of victims.
The horrible murder of James Byrd, Jr., an African-American man in Texas, is still fresh in our memories. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 1996 there were over 8700 reported incidents of hate crimes because of race, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. And reported incidents of hate crimes on college campuses are increasing at a disturbing rate. It is because of these hard realities, and the circumstances of the murder of Matthew Shepard, that his eulogy should be accompanied by action. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act would not end all violence against people because they are gay, or African-American, or Jewish, or come from another country.