“Discrimination or violence because of race or religion,
ancestry or gender, disability or sexual orientation, is wrong,
and it ought to be illegal. Therefore, I ask Congress to make
the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Hate Crimes
Prevention Act the law of the land.” “It is time for all
Americans to recognize that the issues that face gays and
lesbians in this country are not narrow, special interests --
they are matters of basic human and civil rights.” Working for
Basic Fairness and Against Hate Fighting For Hate Crimes
Legislation. In 1997, the President announced his sponsorship of
the Hate Crimes Prevention Act during the historic White House
Conference on Hate Crimes. This crucial legislation would
strengthen and expand the ability of the Justice Department to
prosecute hate crimes by removing needless jurisdictional
requirements for existing crimes. And for the first time in
history, it would give Federal prosecutors the power to
prosecute hate crimes committed because of the victim's sexual