Metro Weekly

Transgender group protests Rhode Island Governor’s “confusing” veto

”We’re not talking about cases where someone has a problem with the victim’s gender identity or expression. We’re not talking about cases where someone doesn’t approve or agree with the way someone else is living their life. We’re talking about cases where someone beats them up, or rapes them, or shoots them, or stabs them because of it. This would keep track of how often crimes like this happen.”

Victor Ellingsen, of LifeLines, who participated in a protest of Rhode Island‘s conservative Governor Donald Carcieri. The Governor vetoed a bill on June 22, 2010 that would have, as he described, expanded ”the definition of ‘hate crime’ to include gender identity and gender-related expression.”’ (Providence Journal)

At that time he said ”these terms are confusing” and listed them as ”a person’s actual or perceived gender, as well as a person’s gender identity, gender-related self image, gender related appearance, or gender-related expression, whethe or not that gender identity or gender-related self image, gender-related appearance, or gender-related expression is different from that traditionally associated with the person’s sex at birth.” (Veto of 2010 H 7044 Governor.RI.gov)

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