I have some amazing news: after a Senate vote today

[Matthew B]

I have some amazing news: after a Senate vote today, the inclusive
hate crimes bill has crossed its last hurdle in Congress! President
Obama has vowed to sign it by the end of this month.

Today's victory marks a truly pivotal moment in our fight for LGBT
equality. It happened because of the dedication of people like you and
the families of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., for whom the bill
is named.

And with bills seeking to end workplace and military discrimination
coming up for debate in Congress, today's victory could be just the
first of many if we can keep up our momentum.

Check out our Love Conquers Hate site – celebrate this victory and
send a note of thanks to the Shepard and Byrd families for their years
of hard work!

But even as we celebrate this amazing news, we're already getting a
sense of the fight we'll have to wage to keep our momentum going.

Courageous lawmakers are continuing to hear from right-wing groups
falsely claiming their vote will end free speech, criminalize anti-gay
thoughts, and open the door to jailing pastors for their sermons.

One recent right-wing article said passing this bill would "shred
America's Judeo-Christian value system."

That's what we're up against.

It's clear that we can't afford to sit back and hope for the best.

But we've proved today that if we continue to fight with the passion
and persistence that paved the way for today's hate crimes victory –
we can fulfill the promise of this moment, despite our anti-equality
opposition.

I hope you'll take one moment today to celebrate this turning point
and send your message of support for the families whose dedication
helped pass this law:

http://www.LoveConquersHate.org

Thank you again for everything you've done to help make this possible.

Warmly,


Joe Solmonese
President