November 23, 2024
Headlines

Mercedes Williamson

Lambda Legal: Sessions’ newfound sympathy for transgender people is a cynical ploy

Steve Lee, Editor02 mins

NEW YORK— Monday, Joshua Vallum was sentenced to 49 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Mercedes Williamson, who was transgender. His sentencing marked the first application of the federal hate crimes law for the murder of a transgender person and, following the news, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the tragedy in…

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Man to face prosecution under Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act for transgender murder

Steve Lee, Editor01 mins

For the first time since its passage in 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act has been used to bring charges for targeting a victim because they were transgender, reports Robin Maril on the HRC Blog. This Act expanded existing federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by bias against the…

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