【10/7 今日美史】美国仇恨犯罪预防法的诞生

今

日

美

史

每天一篇“今日美史”，提炼和总结历史在今天发生的重要事件：谁，在哪里，什么时候，做了什么，这件事为什么重要，以及在写关于什么主题的论文的时候可以作为潜在的论据引用。

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为AP美国历史拿5分打下坚实基础

10/7

Hate Crimes Prevention Act

When

Where

Who

What

When:  1998

Where: Laramie, Wyoming

Who：

Matthew Shepard, Aaron McKinney and Russel Henderson

What：

Shepard was a student attending the University of Wyoming when he met McKinney and Henderson.  The latter two claimed they were intent only on robbing him but beat Shepard so severely, and left him in freezing temperatures for hours, that Shepard ultimately died from the severity of the wounds.  McKinney and Henderson initially attempted to use their victim’s sexual orientation (he was gay) as an excuse for the attack.

Why

significant

Anti-gay sentiment to the point of using a victim’s orientation as an excuse for beating them to death mobilized people on both sides of the issue, but Shepard’s death, along with several others around the same time, led to the establishment of anti – hate laws, adding additional penalties for crimes committed against homosexuals.  Shepard became a symbol of violent intolerance against the LGBTQ community and his death a rallying cry for legislative action.

Tags

Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Matt Shepard Act