10 years

10 years ago today, Matthew Shepherd was brutally murdered in what has become the most famous hate crime in our country. While I didn't know Matthew or anyone close to him, his story and life have had a profound effect on me. (I did have the amazing opportunity to meet Judy Shepherd a few years ago in the fight for a stricter hate crimes law in Utah).

You'd think that after 10 years, there'd be significant changes/improvements to hate crimes laws around our country or that awareness was much higher or that hate crimes would completely stop. Sadly, this isn't the case. Every year, there are untold stories about people being beaten or murdered because of the color of their skin, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Behind these untold stories is someone's child. Like Matthew Shepherd, there are family and friends who love and miss them. While someone we know may never be the victim of a hate crime (at least not that we know about), it doesn't mean that we can't get involved in the fight for stricter penalties and press coverage of these heinous crimes.

State laws as they currently stand (From GLAAD):

* In 11 states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont) and the District of Columbia, hate crimes laws cover crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.

* In 20 states (Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin), hate crimes laws address crimes based on sexual orientation but not gender identity or gender expression.

* In 13 states (Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia), existing hate crimes laws do not cover crimes based on either sexual orientation or gender identity, although they do cover crimes against other identified groups.

* Georgia and Utah do not specify any protected classes in its hate crimes laws, rendering uncertain their application to LGBT people targeted for bias-motivated violence. Georgia's hate crimes law was invalidated by the state's Supreme Court in October 2004 as "unconstitutionally vague."

* Four states (Arkansas, Indiana, South Carolina, Wyoming) do not have any hate crimes laws.

We can organize together and ensure more aggressive laws in our states are passed. We can force Congress to finally pass the Federal Hate Crimes Statute that bears Matthew's name. On the 20th anniversary of Matthew's death, I don't want to see any more stories about how few hate crimes laws we have in our country. Matthew Shepherd should be known as someone who helped change our country for the better by all of us ensuring passage of an effective hate crimes law.

Let's not let another year pass without making sure stricter laws are passed in every single state. Let's not let Matthew's legacy be in vain. It is because of his courage that we owe that to him.