Press

Passage of a hate crimes bill in Hawaii means that for the first time in U.S. history, a majority of the 50 states will have hate crimes laws covering sexual orientation, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reported today.

In all, 26 states will have hate crimes laws that cover sexual orientation, once the Hawaii bill becomes law. Five states have no hate crimes laws at all, and 19 states have hate crimes laws that do not mention sexual orientation. Of the 26 states that have favorable laws, four states - California, Minnesota, Missouri and Vermont - also include gender identity in their laws.

"The very good news out of Hawaii demonstrates the real progress we are making, year by year, state by state," said NGLTF Political Director Tim McFeeley. "At the same time, despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of the U.S. public supports hate crimes laws, Congress and George W. Bush are silent on the issue. The gulf between positive state action and callous federal inaction grows wider by the day."

Thus far, Hawaii is the only state in the United States to pass a hate crimes bill inclusive of sexual orientation this year. Currently four states - Alabama, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas - have bills whose prospects for passage remain at least possible; in Alabama and Texas, hate crimes bills have passed each state's House and await action in the Senate. Bills in four other states - Alaska, Colorado, North Carolina and South Carolina - appear to have stalled during the current legislative sessions. And bills in an additional seven states are dead because the legislatures in those states have adjourned.

For more information about hate crimes laws and other types of GLBT-related legislation, please visit NGLTF's issue maps at www.ngltf.org/library and 2001 Legislative Update at www.ngltf.org/statelocal/leg2001.htm.

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The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.