April 12, 2009 09:18 PM UTC

Udall Calls For Federal Hate Crimes Law Expansion

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• by: Colorado Pols

In a guest column for the Boulder Daily Camera today, Sen. Mark Udall writes in support of expanding federal hate crimes definitions to include segments of the GLBT community–timely with the first such trial under Colorado’s expanded law about to kick off:

I was elected to Congress a month after Matthew [Shepard’s] murder. And for every year thereafter, I supported federal hate crimes legislation…The Matthew Shepard Act. Sadly, that legislation has yet to pass Congress.

Ten years later, in 2008, I asked voters to send me to the United States Senate. During that campaign, I was deeply saddened to learn about another tragic murder — right here in Colorado.

In July of last year, 18-year-old Angie Zapata was beaten to death in the living room of her Greeley apartment. According to press accounts, Angie’s attacker claims that he went after her because he hates transgender and gay people. I have no personal knowledge of the attacker’s motives or whether these claims will be proven in court, but I do know that 10 years after Matthew Shepard’s murder, vile prejudice based on sexual orientation still plagues our society.

Unlike federal law, Colorado has a strong hate crimes statute. The man accused of killing Angie will be the first person in the nation to be tried under any state’s hate crimes law for killing a person because of transgender orientation. As such, we will see how this law operates in the state judicial system. It will hopefully help inform other states and perhaps enlighten the Congress to follow suit for the country as a whole.

As a Coloradan, I know that vicious hate crimes committed against people like Matthew and Angie are appalling to us all. As the trial for Angie starts in Greeley next week, I rededicate myself to seeing the federal hate crimes bill, The Matthew Shepard Act, passed in this Congress.