[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000-2001, Book III)]
[October 12, 2000]
[Page 2167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 2167]]


Statement on Hate Crimes Legislation
October 12, 2000

    Today marks 2 years since young Matthew Shepard was beaten 
unconscious, tied to a fence, and left to die. At the time of Matthew's 
death, I expressed my sympathy for the family and my outrage about the 
heinous nature of the crime. Since then, Matthew's death has been a call 
to action to many across the country committed to doing more to prevent 
and prosecute hate crimes. Many have worked tirelessly, along with my 
administration, to pass meaningful hate crimes legislation this year. 
Their efforts led to two strong bipartisan votes--one in the House and 
one in the Senate--in favor of hate crimes legislation. Unfortunately, 
just last week, the Republican leadership--denying the will of a 
bipartisan majority in both the House and the Senate--stripped hate 
crimes legislation from the Department of Defense Authorization bill. 
This action is wrong, and the will of the majority should be respected. 
We must not let the fear of people different from ourselves prevent this 
legislation from passing. Working with the bipartisan coalition that 
supports hate crimes legislation, I will continue to fight to make sure 
this important work gets done.