April 08, 2009 03:43 AM UTC

Light a candle for Angie Zapata

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• by: Alan

Angie Zapata was brutally murdered in Greeley, Colorado in July 2008. Angie was a transgender woman and she was murdered because of anti-transgender bias.

On April 14, 2009, her alleged killer will go on trial in Greeley, Colorado. The trial marks the first time that Colorado’s gender identity-inclusive hate crimes statute–and in fact any state’s hate crimes law–has been applied in the investigation and prosecution of an anti-transgender murder case.

The tragic circumstances of Angie’s death gives Coloradans an opportunity to better understand Angie’s life and the lives of transgender people. It offers a chance to talk about the importance of Colorado’s hate crime law. And it highlights the need to stop excluding people from the protections of a federal hate crimes law simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Learn more about Angie Zapata, Colorado’s hate crimes law, and light a candle for Angie: http://www.angiezapata.com/

Cross-posted at ProgressNow Colorado