Last Thursday, 26-year-old Satendar Singh, a native of Fiji, was taken off life support; he died shortly thereafter. Earlier in the week, he had been brutally beaten in an attack that occurred while he was vacationing at Lake Natoma. Although the sheriff's department has not yet classified the incident as a hate crime, state parks officials reported that the victim and his friends, who were celebrating at Lake Natoma, were the recipients of racial and homophobic slurs.

"First and foremost our thoughts go out to Mr. Singh, his family and his friends," said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors. "If the attack on Mr. Singh turns out to be motivated by hate against any particular group, California's hate crimes law can and should be applied. This potential hate crime reminds us that it is time for the federal hate crimes statute to catch up to be similarly inclusive. We need to embrace policies that encourage people to respect our diverse society."

California's hate crime law, authored by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica and sponsored by EQCA, specifically addresses bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Current federal law only covers hate crimes that are motivated by race, color, national origin or religion.

"If the Sacramento Sheriff's Department asked for help from the federal government in this case, federal law enforcement officials could get involved if the crime turns out to be motivated by racial bias, but not if it was prompted only by anti-LGBT bias," said Kors. "That gross inconsistency needs to change."

Last week, Assemblymember Mike Eng introduced Assembly Joint Resolution 29, sponsored by EQCA, which calls on the federal government to support the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Also known as the Matthew Shepard Act, the federal measure would expand the nation's hate crimes protections to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. It would also boost local law enforcement tools and resources to investigate and prosecute acts of violence against all protected communities of people.

"It is with a heavy heart that I call on my fellow legislators to support AJR 29 so that we can do more to protect victims of hate crimes and prosecute the perpetrators," said Assemblymember Eng. "Such deplorable attacks are prompted by nothing more than our individual differences that make each one of us unique. We need to send a clear message to Congress and the president that acts of bigotry and violence will not be tolerated."

LGBT people, or those perceived to be, are disproportionately targeted as victims of hate crimes. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 14 percent of the hate crimes committed in 2005 were motivated by the victim's sexual orientation.

AJR 29 will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee next week.