Illinois Amendment would add Gender Identity to Hate Crime Law

via Chicago Phoenix, by Tony Merevick

Illinois Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy (14th Dristrict) introduced an amendment to the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961, which would add protections for gender identity, military status and immigration status to the state’s hate crimes law.

HB4725, filed in the General Assembly Feb. 3, is the result of efforts among Illinois lawmakers and local LGBT activists, including members of The Civil Rights Agenda, who authored the bill.

“As a member organization of the LGBTQ Immigration Coalition and as an organization that works with many transgender individuals that have experienced crimes motivated by hate and discrimination, as well as an organization that fought for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and is committed to the needs of LGBT service members and veterans, we recognized that hate crimes protection in Illinois must be expanded,” said TCRA Executive Director, Anthony Martinez.

“One of my personal goals as an activist in the LGBT community is to ensure the expansion of trans rights in Illinois and throughout the nation,” Martinez told Chicago Phoenix.

Transgender women make up 44 percent of all LGBT murder victims, according to a July 2011 study by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.

The study also found a 13 percent increase in anti-LGBT hate crimes in 2010, and suggests that many more go unreported. More than half of survivors of hate crimes did not report it to the police, said the same study.

“Many of the transgender folks who come to us, especially transgender women, say that they don’t feel comfortable reporting an assault because they think they are either going to face police harassment,” said Martinez.

“Or they are not going to be seen as a victim but as the person who brought on the attack.”
In addition, the NCAVP study found that over 60 percent of victims say they were met by “indifference, abusive or deterrent” when reporting a hate crime.

This response was most common among transgender people of color, according to the study.

If the amendment is passed, crimes against victims because of their gender identity, military status or immigration status will be, “accorded weight in favor of imposing a term of imprisonment or may be considered by the court as reasons to impose a more severe sentence,” according to the bill summary.

Rick Garcia, a longtime local activist, played a vital role in developing the new legislation. Months ago, Garcia approached June Latrobe, the public policy director at Illinois Gender Advocates, about whether or not gender idenity was included in the Illinois Hate Crimes Act.

After further discussions with Rocco Claps, the director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights, they approached newly-appointed Rep. Cassidy with a plan for an amendment, according to Garcia.


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Who's That Queer [Marisa Demeo]

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Marisa Demeo, is an openly gay District of Columbia magistrate judge. In the past she has worked as a lobbyist and advocate for Hispanic causes. On April 20th, 2010, Judge Demeo was confirmed by the United States Sentate to a 15-year term on the Washington D.C. Supreme Court.


Judge Marisa Demeo was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Dale City, Virginia. She graduated from Princeton University in 1988, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics with a concentration in Latin American studies. She went on to receive her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law (NYU) in 1993, where she served on the Law Review.

After graduating from law school, Ms. Demeo served with distinction as an Honors Program trial attorney in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Employment Litigation Section, where she prosecuted public employers for pattern or practice employment discrimination in federal courts around the country and received two awards for her work. In 1997, she left DOJ to work for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national Latino civil rights organization, where she advocated on immigrants’ rights issues. In 2004, Ms. Demeo joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USAO) as an Assistant United States Attorney, then in 2007 became a magistrate judge.

In March 2009, President Obama appointed Demeo to the DC superior court, but Senate Republicans, spearheaded by Sen. Jim DeMint, blocked a vote on her appointment for more than a year. On April 20th, 2010, Demeo's appointment was confirmed by a 66-32 vote.