The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday in favor of
including disability, gender and sexual orientation to the list
of hate crime protections over the objections of conservatives.
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HR1913) is
also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. Shepard, a student at the
University of Wyoming, was killed in 1998 by two men he met in a
gay bar. He was beaten and left to die shackled to a post along
a rural road near Laramie.  Eighteen Republicans crossed the
aisle to join Democrats in approving the legislation in a 249 to
175 vote. Seventeen Democrats voted against the measure.  The
bill defines hate crimes as those motivated by prejudice against
race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity or disability. It would allow the
Attorney General to assist cities and states in the
investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. Legislators passed
a similar bill in 2007, but the bill sank under the weight of a
veto threat from Presi