This legislation will help us to raise public awareness, change attitudes and ultimately increase prosecutions of these horrible crimes. The legislation also expands the definition of a hate crime to include crimes based on a person's gender, disability and sexual orientation. Senator Edward Kennedy is the author of the bill. In addition, it adds sex, disability, age and sexual orientation as protected categories. In July, Governor Pataki signed into law state hate crimes legislation.
Some critics claim that all crimes are hate crimes.
We must express through our laws the view that these kinds of crimes will not be tolerated. And we must provide those who enforce the law with the tools they need to deter hate crimes and apprehend those who commit them.