Matthew Shepard Petition

Please read this:

You have been identified as someone who cares.
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*On October 6, outside Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Shepard, a
21-year-old University of Wyoming student, was tortured, beaten, and
left tied to a pole in the freezing cold. Six days later, he died of
his wounds in Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Matthew was murdered because he was gay and because he was a prominent
and charismatic member of the gay and lesbian student group on campus.
Right now Wyoming and Colorado have no anti-hate crime laws; the
State legislature in Wyoming has voted down anti-bias bills for each of
The past three years.

There is an efffort in Wyoming and Colorado to enact Matthew Shepard
Laws, which would strongly punish the perpetrators of hate crimes.
This petition demands the broadening of federal anti-hate crime law.

Opening Statement:Opening Statement:
“As a religious voice, we state strongly that violence on the basis
of sexual orientation, race or gender is wrong, is evil, is
reprehensible.” -John Buehren, President of The Unitarian
Universalist

Association, speaks for Unitarian Universalists but his words are
reflected in the hearts of people everywhere who believe we must
speak out, take action against, and condemn hate crimes in all their ugly
forms.

A resolution follows:

WHEREAS: We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of
every person; and

WHEREAS: We commend the efforts of those individuals who dedicate
their lives to causes of social justice and human rights; and

WHEREAS: We support actions that protect the individual’s rights of
life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That we hereby urge the passage of The
Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), H.R.3081 and S.1529

(The Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), H.R.3081 and S.1529, would
amend current federal law (which permits federal prosecution of a
hate crime only if the crime was motivated by bias based on
religion,national origin, or color) to include real or perceived
sexual orientation, gender, and disability so the FBI would be able
to investigate and prosecute violent hate crimes against gays,
lesbians, and bisexuals.

Under this bill, hate crimes that cause death or bodily injury
because of prejudice can be investigated federally, regardless of whether
the victim was exercising a federally protected right.The only way that
our representatives can be aware of the base of support for this change to
the current law is by making our voices heard.

Please add your name to this petition and forward it to friends who
believe in what it stands for. The petition will then be forwarded
to the President of The United States; the Vice President of the United
States; and our United States Senators and House Members.

Petition Management:
1. This petition is being passed around the Internet. Please add
your name to it so that we can have tougher laws against all hate
crimes.

Please keep the petition rolling. Do not reply to me. Please sign
and forward to others to sign. This is being forwarded to several
people at once to add their names. It will not matter if many people
receive the same list as the names are being managed.

2. If you print out this petition for circulation and signing
please email the listing of names with locations to the email
address: AllRunique@aol.com (an email address created to receive this
petition) Include a note to dicate you have a hand-signed petition and include
the number of names listed.

3. If you happen to be the 100th, 150th, 200th, 250th, this
petition, please forward a copy to the email address: AllRunique@aol.com

4. If you sign, please pass it on to others. If not, please do not
kill it. Send it on to the email address: AllRunique@aol.com

Thank You
Leslie Palmer

I can not stay silent, my outrage and compassion will not allow.
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Note: It is preferable that you Select the entirety of this letter
and then COPY it into a new outgoing message, add your name to the
bottom of the list, then send it on. Or if option is available, do a
SENDSign Here:

1) Leslie Palmer, Jacksonville, FL
2) Stephen Silverman, South Burlington, VT
3) Wayne Arnason
4) Theo Diamond, Charlottesville, Va
5) Sasha Kopf, Northampton, MA / Princeton, NJ
6) Geoffrey B. Metz, Tufts Univ., Medford, MA
7) Emily Sporl, Tufts University, Medford, MA
8.) Tai Collins, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
9.) Danielle Lazarin, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
10.) Priscilla Morales, Yale University, New Haven, CT
11.) Lydia Pace, Yale University, New Haven, CT
12.) Julia Goren, Williams College, Williamstown, MA
13.) Jamie Waxman, Columbia University
14.) Rebecca Zimmerman, Columbia University, NY
15.) Ariel Meyerstein, Columbia University, NY
16.) Naomi Richman,Goucher College, MD
17.) Aaron Finkel, University of Missouri-Columbia, MO
18.) Sally Noedel, Truman State Univ., Kirksville, MO
19.) Kim Cook, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
20.) Molly Mitchell, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
21.) Jeremy Schwab, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
22.) Aaron Manheim, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
23.) Rebecca pronsky, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
24.) Rebecca Milburn, Wesleyan Univ., Middletown, CT
25.) Christene DeJong, Wesleyan Univ., Middletown, CT
26.) Lisa Lapman, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
27.) Julia Sussner, Wellesley College, MA
28.) Adrian Dellecker, Trinity College, CT
29.) Sarah Mullen, Trinity College, CT
30.) Phu Thai, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
31.) Leigh Phillips, Wheaton College, Norton, MA
32.) Matthew Small, Heidelberg College, Tiffin, OH
33.) June Bumanglag, Hilo Hawaii
34.) Vera Goo, San Francisco, CA 35.) Jeanne M. Joe, Los Angeles, CA
36.) Jacey Erwin, Los Angeles, CA
37) Jenna Sheinfeld, NJ
38) Stephanie Berkowitz, Washington, DC
39) Cindy Kane, Bridgewater, MA
40.) Pamela Brewer, Easton, PA
41.) Chuck Simpson, SUNY Health Science Center, Syracuse, NY
42.) Corey Landstrom, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
43,) Beverly Low, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
44.) Jeffrey Landry, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
45) Cheryl Barnard, Quinnipiac College, Hamden, CT
46) Dayna Dunsmoor, Quinnipiac College, Hamden, CT
47) Deborah Vidmar, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
48) Christine Pesetski, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
49) Allison Pledgie, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
50) Ryan Tracy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
51) Rachel Lepovetsky, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
52) David Larkin, Pennsylvania State University, University Park,PA
53)Jennedy Santolla, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
54)Sarah Barnett, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
55) Kelly McCoy, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
56) Emily Hartsay, Indiana Universityy, Bloomington, IN
57.) Meryl Levine, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN