US gay hate crime bill moves forward

[LostInTime]

Pink News UK

Too many local jurisdictions lack the full resources necessary to prosecute hate crimes.

When Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998, the investigation and prosecution of the case cost the community of 28,000 residents about $150,000, forcing the sheriff's department to lay off five deputies in order to save money.

The act would also allow federal authorities to become involved if local authorities are unwilling or unable to act.

In the hate crime on which the film Boys Don't Cry was based, 21-year-old Brandon Teena was raped and later killed by two friends after they discovered he was biologically female.

After the rape and assault, Teena reported the crime to the police, but Richardson County Sheriff Richard Laux, who referred to Teena as "it," did not allow his deputies to arrest the two men responsible.