rehend, in this case being different sexual orientations. When this fear reaches a certain degree, people may act upon it to do justice for their hateful feelings. In turn, hate crimes have begun over the last decade to thrive in the United States and other countries around the world. The current law in the United States “permits federal prosecution of a hate crime only if the crime was motivated by bias based on race, religion, national orientation, or color, and the assailant intended to prevent the victim from exercising a federal protected right.”(HRC) In 1999, this law was amended with The Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA). The HCPA was established to “amend the current federal law to include real or perceived sexual orientation, gender, and disability so the FBI would be able to investigate and prosecute violent hate crimes against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.”(HRC) As is shown, the government has taken some action in ending discrimination in the nation, although violent acts of hatred against homosexuals is continuing to take place.In 1993 a gay man was beaten to death after coming out in the United States Navy. Apparently, fellow Navy recruits beat the man after finding out that he was an alleged homosexual. Mourners say that the man was lynched, having a bashed skull, eight broken ribs and violated private areas. The mother of the victim stated that the only way that she could properly identify the body was by the distinguishing tattoos located on the man’s forearms. The victim’s family believes that the government’s 50-year-old ban on homosexuals in the military did not aid the situation. After the victim “came out” he was discharged form the Navy, about to make his way home, before the incident.(Bruning) Due incidents such as the previous taking place within the nation, the government established the HCPA in hopes that it would drastically reduce the number of...
