FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 29, 2009
CONTACT: Christopher Moore, Club President
530.713.0914 | president@sacstonewall.org

SACRAMENTO-- President of the Stonewall Democratic Club of Sacramento, Christopher Moore, issued the following statement today regarding President Obama's signing of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill which extends federal hate crimes protections to include sexual orientation:
 
"We applaud President Barack Obama and Congress for taking this historic step toward full equality for LGBT Americans. This policy not only provides justice to LGBT victims of hate crimes, it honors Matthew Shepard, whose horrifying murder awakened Americans to the violent and terrible atmosphere in which many LGBT Americans live."
 
"While this legislation marks a time to celebrate progress toward LGBT equality, it also marks a time to reflect on our own community. The Sacramento LGBT community has profoundly felt the effects of hate-motivated crimes against LGBT people, which have seemingly been on the rise the past few years. The 2007 murder of Satendar Singh, who was killed by individuals taunting him with homophobic remarks, stunned our community. Further, the unresolved mystery of the death of a transgender woman, Ruby Molina, who was found dead in the American River, continues to leave our community wondering how safe our neighborhoods are for LGBT people."
 
"This legislation will hopefully act as a deterrent and send a message that crimes committed toward individuals because of their sexual orientation represent acts so offensive to our society that they deserve greater punishment. It is Stonewall's hope that through continued activism and the examples of courageous LGBT leaders and allies that the underlying hatred behind these crimes will become a thing of the past."
 
The Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento is one of the largest Democratic clubs in the region and is one of the largest LGBT Democratic clubs in the United States. Sacramento Stonewall works toward Democratic values for all.