PENNSYLVANIA: House Democrats Hold Hearing On Reinstating Hate Crimes Law

Via CBS Philadelphia:

In the wake of the September 11th gay bashing incident in Center City, the House Democratic Policy Committee held a public hearing on LGBT hate crimes Thursday. “We have an uphill battle in this legislative climate to pass LGBT hate crimes laws,” said State representative Brian Sims. Sims called the hearing, which was held at the Kimmel Center. He told dozens who sat in the audience the goal is to build a record to support an amendment that would add sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the state’s hate crime statute. Victims, experts, and LGBT leaders testified. Alicia Gonzolez of GALEAI says LGBT people are disproportionately targeted: “Many gay bashing crimes are unsolved and many more are unnoticed.”

Read more about the hearing on Sims' Twitter feed. The current legislative session ends on November 30th.