Today's day three of the MileHighGayGuy Five Days, Five Rights spotlight on The Rights Five. Today's gay rights superhero is The Protector and he represents Colorado's hate crime laws.
The Colorado hate crimes law covers crimes committed with the intent to intimidate or harass another person because of that person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation. The term "sexual orientation" is defined in the law to include "transgender status" thereby also providing protections on the basis of gender identity and expression.
The law is not just about physical violence; it can also be applied to words or actions that threaten injury as well as crimes committed to an individual's property.
Strong hate crime laws send a message to victims, perpetrators, and law enforcement officials that crimes motivated by bias will not be tolerated in this state. Bias motivated crimes are not like any other crime because they are intended to create fear among an entire community of citizens.
If you believe you have been the target of a bias-motivated crime, immediately contact your local police department and report it.
