Just one day after President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard
Act, expanding the federal hate crimes law to include sexual
orientation and gender identity, local lawmakers and University of
Memphis law students discussed efforts to enhance the hate crimes law
in Tennessee.
In a panel discussion at the U of M’s Cecil B. Humphreys Law School
last Thursday, state representative Jeanne Richardson and state senator
Beverly Marrero discussed a bill they’re co-sponsoring that would add
“gender identity and expression” to existing state law. Attorney Murray
Wells, Tennessee Equality Project board member Darlene Fike, and hate
crime victim Jack Robinson also were on the panel.
Though “sexual orientation” was added to the state hate crimes law
in 2001, Richardson introduced a bill last February to enhance the law
with protections for transgender people.
“One of my colleagues actually said to me, ‘I don’t like [expletive]
queers,'” Richardson told the panel. “I’ve been a lifelong Midtowner
and downtowner and I haven’t heard those kinds of comments about gay
people in years. But they’re alive and well.”
If the bill makes it out of the House, Marrero will have to convince
her colleagues in the Senate to pass it as well.
“When I was teaching my kids right from wrong years ago, I never
would have imagined that we’d still be dealing with this issue in
2009,” Marrero said.
Even though the federal law encompasses transgender people, Wells
said a state law would offer stronger protections.
“At the state level, we’re far more equipped to deal with assaults.
That’s the sort of thing the Shelby County district attorney’s office
does, not the feds,” Wells said.
Locally, Wells represented Duanna Johnson, a transgender woman who
was beaten by former Memphis police officer Bridges McRae in the Shelby
County Jail. McRae hit Johnson on the head with handcuffs after she
refused to answer to “he/she” and “faggot.”
McRae cannot be charged with a hate crime under state law yet, but
he will face a judge on a federal civil rights violation on December
14th.
Richardson encouraged those who support adding transgender
protections to state law to contact their representatives.
“Don’t make it easy for people to do the wrong thing,” Richardson
said. “The more people who contact them about this issue, the more
likely it is to pass.”
