The New York Times reports:

The measure, attached to an essential military-spending bill, broadens the definition of federal hate crimes to include those committed because of a victim's gender or gender identity, or sexual orientation. It gives victims the same federal safeguards already afforded to people who are victims of violent crimes because of their race, color, religion or national origin.

"Hate crimes instill fear in those who have no connection to the victim other than a shared characteristic such as race or sexual orientation," Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said afterward. "For nearly 150 years, we have responded as a nation to deter and to punish violent denials of civil rights by enacting federal laws to protect the civil rights of all of our citizens." [...]

The measure would also allocate $5 million a year to the Justice Department to assist local communities in investigating hate crimes, and it would allow the agency to assist in investigations and prosecutions if local agencies requested help.

And let the record also show:

Many Republicans, normally staunch supporters of defense bills, voted against the bill because of the hate crimes provision. All the no votes were Republicans except for Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who supported the hate crimes provision but opposes what he says is the open-ended military commitment in Afghanistan.

As usual, Jeff Sessions is advocating on behalf of assholes everywhere:

"The inclusion of the controversial language of the hate crimes legislation, which is unrelated to our national defense, is deeply troubling," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

Senator: Sessions, would it make you feel better if we called it domestic terrorism instead of a hate crime?

Towleroad posted a statement from the Matthew Shepard Foundation:

"Dennis and I are extremely proud of the Senate for once again passing this historic measure of protection for victims of these brutal crimes," said Judy Shepard, president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board. "Knowing that the president will sign it, unlike his predecessor, has made all the hard work this year to pass it worthwhile. Hate crimes continue to affect far too many Americans who are simply trying to live their lives honestly, and they need to know that their government will protect them from violence, and provide appropriate justice for victims and their families."

And this measure comes not a moment too soon - the 2010 census is attempting to accurately count the number of GLBT couples:

The U.S. Census Bureau is making an unprecedented effort to include same-sex couples in next year's national population count, but legally married gay couples won't show up as such in the official once-a-decade tally, bureau representatives said Thursday.

Statistical problems related to the development of the 2010 census form and the evolving legal state of same-sex relationships led Census officials to conclude that trying to include married gay couples in the overall snapshot of household marital status could yield an inaccurate number, said Gary Gates, a University of California, Los Angeles demographer who has been advising the bureau on gay issues.

Instead, same-sex married couples will be added into the category for unmarried partners, just as they were for the 2000 census. But in a marked policy departure, the agency plans to make the data on same-sex couples who described themselves as married available on a state-by-state basis.

"The Bureau has decided to give us the information, but be a little cautious," Gates said.

The decision to develop separate sets of numbers was a compromise position that was "less about politics and more about accurate data," he said.

Gates stressed that it was important for gay couples to participate in the census, noting that information drawn from the last one had been used in lawsuits dealing with same-sex marriage and to lobby congressional representatives who may wrongly assume they do not have many gay constituents.

Senate Approves Broadened Hate-Crime Measure [NY Times]

Congress Extends Hate Crime Protections To Gays [LA Times]
Senate Approves Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act 68-29 [Towleroad]
Census Bureau Says 2020 Count Could Include Gays [AP]

Earlier: House Passes Sexual Orientation Update To Hate Crimes Bill

The excerpt describes the terrifying moment when Judy Shepard and her husband Dennis found out that their son was in a coma. Because Dennis was working Saudi Arabia, the couple had to wait nearly a day before they could return to the US to see Matthew. Shepard writes,

Dennis and I had only limited information about the extent of Matt's injuries, and absolutely no information about the circumstances surrounding his attack. We knew he was critically injured and that his hold on life was tenuous, at best. Still, our highest hope at that point was for Matt's complete recovery. Our most basic, and perhaps most realistic, hope was that he would hold on to life until we could be with him, by his side.

Unfortunately, Matthew Shepard died on October 12, 1998. In an interview, his mom talks to Newsweek's Kate Dailey about her son, a young man like any other whose death has made him a symbol for a cause. She emphasizes that Matthew wasn't perfect, saying,

We get so much mail and e-mail from young kids who say how much they admire Matt and want to emulate his life, and how they wish they could straighten out their drug use or their depression or whatever. They seem to have the misconception that Matt never went through all that angst, and he totally did. [...] I just want people to know that he just wasn't that angelic young man that some have tried to portray him as or want him to be. It wouldn't be fair to Matt to not remember him with all the foibles and wrinkles of his real life.

On the other hand, Matthew Shepard is now the namesake of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which Judy Shepard directs and which conducts a variety of initiatives aimed at reducing LGBT discrimination. Judy Shepard says,

We thought there was a small amount of time, this window of opportunity for maybe our name, Matt's name, could make a difference. We wanted to take advantage of that.

One way she and the Foundation are trying to do so is through the Matthew Shepard Act, which the Foundation's website calls a "response to the unrelenting and under-addressed problem of violent hate crimes committed against individuals based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability." The bill — championed, Judy Shepard mentions, by Ted Kennedy — would expand existing hate crime laws to prosecute crimes based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability." Current law recognizes a hate crime only if the victim was targeted because of race, color, religion or national origin.

The Matthew Shepard Act could impose stiffer penalties not only on homophobes like Shepard's killers Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, but also on criminals like George Sodini who target women. As Judy Shepard points out, it also includes a provision for anti-hate-crime education. She says,

If we find people doing basic things like graffiti on a synagogue, where there's no actual person that's the victim, you can educate them about what diversity is and how respect moves our country forward. If we could change one person's mind, that's brilliant.

The hate crime legislation that bears Matthew Shepard's name was passed as part of the Senate's defense spending bill this July. Since the House and Senate versions of this bill differ, it's still in committee — and Sen. Jeff Sessions introduced an amendment to allow the death penalty for hate crime murders, which Michael Cole of HRC Back Story calls "a poison pill designed to kill the bill." So it still remains to be seen what Matthew Shepard's legacy will be.

A Phone Call That Changed Everything [Newsweek]
The Meaning of Matthew: Judy Shepard On Her New Memoir, Her Son's Lasting Legacy, And Moving Forward While Looking Back [Newsweek]
Matthew Shepard Foundation [Official Site]

The Good:
Nom nom Mariska!
Dear Malan Breton, I love you, your maniacal laugh, and your insane suit. Xo.
Can't help it: Love that shade of blue on Tala Ashe's dress.
Tim Gunn: Then, now, always.

The Bad:
Pocket gay Alec Mapa is clearly not afraid of wearing white (or cream, whatevs) after Labor Day.
Um, yeah: Same goes for TV host Graham Norton.
Did someone forget to remind Loretta Devine that she's an icon?! Why is she dressed so shabby?!

The Ugly:
I don't care how out, loud and proud he is: Alan Cumming should know better than to dress like the Unabomber.

[Images via FilmMagic.]