But, crimes targeting a person because of bigotry are intended not only to injure that person, but also to intimidate and silence an entire group. In the same way courts have managed to define when an assault is motivated by race or religious bias, they can identify and Congress must provide penalties for crimes motivated by sex, sexual orientation and disability bias. It is clearly at a cost that our movement for equality moves forward. Sometimes the price women pay is physical violence. Resistance to expanding the federal hate crimes statute is part of the larger backlash against women.
Women are tired of paying for freedom with our lives.
When we face violence simply because we're women, we live with words and deeds of hate burned into our minds for too many years. It is past time for Congress to enact the 1999 Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We will not rest until all women, of all sexual orientations and abilities, can live our lives in peace and safety.