I am not as concerned with whether or not we have hate crime status on the final sentencing order for some of these people as I do that we will get them off the streets at all.
Defense Attorney: "My client didn't hate his victim, he just robbed or Fill IN Blank them. They were where he was when he was doing his _______________ but he didn't hate them. And since they can't prove he hated them, they can't prove he _______________ them, so acquit him of everything!"
Juries will buy that argument and do what the defense attorneys ask, so murderer, robber, rapist, batterer, and so on gets the cuffs cut off him in the court room. I'm all for showing the defendant the good hard evidence that will be simple, direct and obvious to a jury, and letting him plead guilty to a crime that for this guy guarantees added jail time, but doesn't force him into a jury trial situation. He's off the streets I walk on that way.
Sorry folks I was on jury duty a few weeks ago, and while my case was not a crime against a trans person, I am still a bit low on that aspect of our judicial system.
