By The Editors

Declaring that “we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits—not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear,” President Obama has signed historic legislation expanding federal hate crimes laws to cover attacks against gay men and lesbians.

The law, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, will enable local officials to request Justice Department assistance in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes against gay men and lesbians, against the disabled and also against members of the military who are attacked because of their military service. The House and the Senate passed the legislation last month.

The President signed the law on October 28 in the East Room of the White House, with the parents of Matthew Shepard and the sisters of James Byrd, Jr. among those present. Shepard and Byrd were brutally slain in separate incidents in the late 1990s by men driven by homophobic and racist attitudes. Since then, the Human Rights Campaign and other gay rights and civil rights organizations have worked with some members of Congress to expand the hate crimes that the law would cover. Several of those Congressional advocates were in attendance at the White House ceremony.