Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes
Encyclopedia
The Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes was an agency created by then-Governor William Weld
, linking representatives of the state police
and local law enforcement agencies with community advocates to further the state government's commitment to eradicating bias-motivated crime in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
. The Task Force was given permanent status by former Governor Paul Cellucci in 1998.
In 2003, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
vetoed a bill funding hate crimes prevention funding, after which he impounded money previously approved by former Governor Jane Swift for a bullying prevention program. The anti-bullying program was based on a 165-page guide, "Direct from the Field: A Guide to Bullying Prevention", which the Task Force intended to publish and make available to communities to provide guidance on implementing bullying prevention programs in middle schools and high schools. The editor of the bullying prevention manuscript was Don Gorton
, who had been appointed chair of the Task Force by Weld in 1991.http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=El&article_code=2791
The bullying prevention guide was ready in 2003, but according to Gorton, the $10,000 needed to publish it was not available. Mitt Romney, who was inaugurated as governor on January 2, 2003, eliminated all funds for hate crime
prevention after taking office. The result was that the Task Force lost its staff. Gorton stayed on as co-chair of the Task Force and continued to nurse the anti-bullying project. The bullying prevention program continues to attract the ire of right-wing Christian activists, who attempt to equate it with the Anita Bryant
canard that homosexuals are actively engaged in "recruiting
" young people into their ranks.
Romney's actions against the Task Force preceded his attack on the institution of same-sex marriage
, which was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004. The Task Force currently is moribound.
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
, linking representatives of the state police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
and local law enforcement agencies with community advocates to further the state government's commitment to eradicating bias-motivated crime in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The Task Force was given permanent status by former Governor Paul Cellucci in 1998.
In 2003, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
vetoed a bill funding hate crimes prevention funding, after which he impounded money previously approved by former Governor Jane Swift for a bullying prevention program. The anti-bullying program was based on a 165-page guide, "Direct from the Field: A Guide to Bullying Prevention", which the Task Force intended to publish and make available to communities to provide guidance on implementing bullying prevention programs in middle schools and high schools. The editor of the bullying prevention manuscript was Don Gorton
Don Gorton
Don Gorton is a Massachusetts attorney who served as a state tax judge from 1997 to 2008.-Biography:Gorton has been an advocate for LGBT equality in Boston for over 25 years. He is perhaps best known as the longtime Co-Chair of the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crime, to which he was appointed by...
, who had been appointed chair of the Task Force by Weld in 1991.http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=El&article_code=2791
The bullying prevention guide was ready in 2003, but according to Gorton, the $10,000 needed to publish it was not available. Mitt Romney, who was inaugurated as governor on January 2, 2003, eliminated all funds for hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
prevention after taking office. The result was that the Task Force lost its staff. Gorton stayed on as co-chair of the Task Force and continued to nurse the anti-bullying project. The bullying prevention program continues to attract the ire of right-wing Christian activists, who attempt to equate it with the Anita Bryant
Anita Bryant
Anita Jane Bryant is an American singer, former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and gay rights opponent. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses", which reached #5...
canard that homosexuals are actively engaged in "recruiting
Homosexual recruitment
Homosexual recruitment is a term used, primarily in the U.S., to describe alleged attempts by homosexuals to actively "recruit" otherwise heterosexual youths into the 'gay lifestyle'. Allegations of gay recruitment are sometimes leveled at efforts by gay activists to encourage homosexuals to "come...
" young people into their ranks.
Romney's actions against the Task Force preceded his attack on the institution of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
, which was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004. The Task Force currently is moribound.