What is a hate crime?
Q: What is a hate crime?
A: A hate crime is when someone breaks the law by hurting another person because of prejudice against a group the victim belongs to.
Q: What forms can hate crimes take?
A: Hate crimes can be in the form of physical violence, vandalism and damage to property, insults or other hurtful words, or other violations of human rights.
Q: What are some common reasons for committing hate crimes?
A: People often commit hate crimes due to prejudice about the victim's sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender identity, class, sexual orientation, age or other things about them.
Q: When was the term "hate crime" first used?
A: The term "hate crime" was first used in the 1980s in the United States when crimes caused by bias against certain types of people were being talked about in the media.
Q: How can hate crime be seen as terrorism?
A: Hate crime can sometimes be used as a way to frighten other people who belong to the same group. This intimidation can be seen as terrorism when it is carried out on a large scale.
Q: What did the Matthew Shepard Act change in 2009?
A: In 2009, The Matthew Shepard Act changed the definition of a hate crime in US law so that any crimes committed because of a victim's sexual orientation, gender identity or disability would now be considered hate crimes. It was also the first law that protected transgender people.
Q: How does this act protect transgender people?
A: The Matthew Shepard Act protects transgender people by recognizing any acts committed against them due to their gender identity as being classified as a hate crime under US law.
