[LCC] PLEASE HELP: Washington State Senate to Consider Including Crimes against Gender Identity in Hate Crime Legislation

[Lindsay Alane Morse]

There is currently a Washington State Senate bill that would include acts of
violence against transgendered people and those questioning their gender
identity in state hate crimes legislation in the Rules Committee in our
state legislature.  The UW GPSS Vice President has worked very hard to get
it that far.  If the Rules Committee approves it, it will move to the Senate
floor for a general vote.  There is some information below about contacting
specific state senators on the rules committee.  Please forward this to
anyone you know in Washington State who think might be willing to email
these senators to urge them to pass this to the Senate floor.


Thanks,
Lindsay

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 7:43 AM
Subject: [GPSS Executive] HELP: Hate Crimes Bill

Hi All,

I really need all of your help immediately.  We need as many people to
pepper some specific Rules Committee members to pull the Hate Crimes Bill to
the floor.  I've done a vote count and the votes should be there for passage
IF we can get it to the floor.

I've heard that other bills have been pulled simply because of the volume of
constituent email sent to Senators.  So please make requests of your student
government boards, friends, family, etc. as well!

There will be very few Rules meetings left and possibly one today so I need
you all to email the following Senators as soon as you get this email.  I
don't want to write a template letter because I want the requests to be
varied a little.  Some possible talking points for a 2-3 sentence email are
at the bottom (template sentence structure: pull the bill, here is a reason
why, thank you).  DO NOT just send a mass email to these Senators ---- send
separate emails.

Senator Brown: brown.lisa at leg.wa.gov <mailto:brown.lisa at leg.wa.gov>
Senator Murray: murray.edward at leg.wa.gov <mailto:murray.edward at leg.wa.gov>
Senator Eide: eide.tracey at leg.wa.gov <mailto:eide.tracey at leg.wa.gov
>
> >
> Senator Marr: marr.chris at leg.wa.gov <mailto:marr.chris at leg.wa.gov>
> Senator Pridemore: pridemore.craig at leg.wa.gov <mailto:
> pridemore.craig at leg.wa.gov>
> Senator Regala: regala.debbie at leg.wa.gov <mailto:regala.debbie at leg.wa.gov>
> Senator Kohl-Welles: kohl-welles.jeanne at leg.wa.gov <mailto:
> kohl-welles.jeanne at leg.wa.gov>
>
> Thanks,
> Dave
>
> ---- Please pull SB-5952, the Hate Crimes bill, to the floor immediately.
> There is no fiscal note and in these troubled times you can help change the
> lives of hundreds of citizens in Washington so easily.
>
> ---- With 3 brutal attacks due to a student's gender identity or expression
> on the WSU Campus last fall I am worried about the safety fears that pervade
> our entire school community
>
> ---- Several transgendered students have said they considered themselves to
> have a lucky life because they have not been beaten, raped, or killed.  No
> one should have that as the benchmark for a "lucky life."
>
>

-- 
Lindsay Alane Morse
University of Washington, Seattle
Doctoral Candidate, Classics
GPSS Executive Senator