On the night of October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard slipped into a coma, bloodied and tied to a fence in rural Wyoming. Before the week was over, his parents said goodbye to their first-born son. Now, eleven years later, they may finally win the fight to get the motives behind his murder acknowledged on a national level.

On Thursday, the House voted in favor (281 to 146) of a bill that would expand the definition of hate crime legislation to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The bill would make it a federal crime to assault someone based on gender and sexual orientation. It would also free up grants that fund local efforts to better understand and address bias-motivated crime. According to the Human Rights Campaign:

The Act provides the [Department of Justice] with the ability to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable to act, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated, violent crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

In July, the act, named after Matthew Shepard, was added as the Leahy, Collins, Kennedy, Snowe Hate Crimes Amendment to the FY2010 Department of Defense Authorization Bill, which increased its odds of being passed. The legislation could be approved by the Senate as early as this week, at which point all it needs is President Obama’s signature. Despite some opposition, the chances for success of this measure are much greater than in previous administrations. Not only has it passed in the House but, as Steve Padilla from the LA Times says, “The measure…faced a veto threat from President George W. Bush, but enjoys the support of President Obama.” As Giulia mentioned earlier today, President Obama recently vowed to put an end to the military policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and has also expressed that he wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

All of this is good news, considering. But it doesn’t mean that crimes are less likely to happen. As Reason.com writer Steve Chapman pointed out in his article The Empty Symbolism of Hate Crime Legislation, “if a criminal is not deterred by the fear of five years behind bars, he’s probably not going to be pushed onto the straight and narrow by the prospect of six.” Which is true, in part; not all criminals will be deterred by punishment. But does that mean the legislation is, as Chapman claims, empty? No. But what it does mean is that this is just the beginning. On a greater level, ending hate crimes requires what the Matthew Shepard Foundation advocates: “Replace hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance.”