The U.S. Senate passed The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act on Thursday, October 22, 2009, on a 68 to 29 vote.
The bill extends the definition of federal hate crimes to include attacks motivated by sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. The bill passed in the House on October 8 with a vote of 281 to 146. The bill now goes to the President’s desk for signature. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law. This marks the passage of the first ever federal civil rights bill inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.
