By Liz Seaton, Director of Projects and Managing Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
On April 22, Allen Ray Andrade was convicted of the murder in the first degree and as a hate crime under state law for killing Angie Zapata, 18, a transgender woman whom he savagely beat to death with a fire extinguisher in her home in Greeley, Colo. in July, 2008. I wrote then about the need for passage of the federal hate crimes bill.
At that time, Weld County Prosecutor Ken Buck, whose office ably prosecuted the case, joined in pressing for passage of a federal hate crimes law. On April 29, the House passed the federal hate crimes bill, which includes both sexual orientation and gender identity, by a vote of 249-175.
