The Matthew Shepard Act is a federal statute that was signed into law in October of 2009. It was named after Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student who was brutally murdered in 1998 due to his sexual orientation. This landmark legislation updates and expands existing federal crimes against hate crimes based on the victim\u2019s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.<\/p>\n
The Shepard Act increases the ability of federal prosecutors to pursue hate crimes of violence. It specifically establishes federal criminal civil rights statutes to protect people from crimes of violence motivated by their real or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The legislation also provides training to state and local law enforcement agencies on investigating hate crimes, as well as direct federal assistance to state and local law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.<\/p>\n
The Matthew Shepard Act provides business professionals with the assurance that victims of hate-motivated crimes can now pursue action to address the violence they suffer and seek justice. Companies should be aware of the legislation and be prepared to provide new protections for their employees, customers, and members of their community. Business leaders should also understand their role in fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace and take proactive steps to ensure a safe and comfortable work environment for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Matthew Shepard Act is a federal statute that was signed into law in October of 2009. It was named after Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student who was brutally murdered in 1998 due to his sexual orientation. This landmark legislation updates and expands existing federal crimes against hate crimes based on the victim\u2019s actual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n