President Clinton Calls for Tougher Hate Crime Laws in Wake of Matthew Shepard's Death

President Clinton expressed his condolences to the family of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old openly gay college student beaten to death in Wyoming. Clinton called on Congress to toughen federal hate crime laws, stating "Crimes of hate and crimes of violence cannot be tolerated in our country." He also telephoned Shepard's family to express his sorrow and issued a written statement urging Congress to enact a new hate crimes law before the year's end.

Key Takeaways:

• President Clinton expressed his condolences to the family of Matthew Shepard and called on Congress to toughen federal hate crime laws.
• The proposed hate crimes law would add factors such as sexual orientation, gender, and disability to the list of protected characteristics under federal law.
• The law would also reduce jurisdictional limits on federal prosecutions in hate crime cases.
• President Clinton urged Congress to enact the new hate crimes law before the end of the year.
• The proposed law builds on existing federal law, which already provides additional penalties for crimes motivated by factors such as race, religion, or national origin.
• President Clinton's statement highlighted the need to reduce fear and anxiety towards people who are different, and to promote understanding and tolerance.

Statistics:

• Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old openly gay college student, was beaten to death in Wyoming.
• President Clinton telephoned Shepard's family to express his sorrow.
• The proposed hate crimes law would add sexual orientation, gender, and disability to the list of protected characteristics under federal law.
• Existing federal law provides additional penalties for crimes motivated by factors such as race, religion, or national origin.
• The proposed law would reduce jurisdictional limits on federal prosecutions in hate crime cases.

Sources:

• United Press International, 1998. (Original article, no publication date provided)