Almost all of the 50 states have laws for hate crimes that are related to religious, racial, and ethnical discrimination. Slightly more than half of the states recognize hate crimes that deal with sexual orientation and only 17 deal with transgender and gender identity crimes.
We shouldn't allow these violent acts against the LGBT community go unnoticed. The United States is already progressing in the LGBT field with legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide in June. Sexual orientation and gender identity hate crimes are already being recognized, and by recognizing it nationwide, we can provide a reassurance for the LGBT community, and possibly decrease the number of hate crimes that are occurring.