Good afternoon!

I'm sure you are aware of the recent brutal beating of a gay man in Rock HIll, and how that has prompted local representatives to re-introduce a hate crime bill when the South Carolina Legislature reconvenes next week. Those intentions are being met with resistance.

I am the publicist for Campus Pride, a national Gay Rights advocacy group based here in Charlotte, and led by executive director Shane Windmeyer. Shane, who has been featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, OUT Magazine and TIME Magazine, is available for interviews and commentary this weekend and early next week regarding the South Carolina situation.

The hate crime bill, led by state Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, was prompted by the beating of Joshua Esskew at a convience store, which was caught on the store's video tape.

King's hate crime bill, which went nowhere in the General Assembly when first introduced last year, is expected again to be met with opposition. A spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley told a reporter from the Rock Hill Herald that the newly elected governor does not support state hate crime laws.

"Individuals who believe that a crime is a crime is a crime do not understand the definition of a hate crime or the unique impact a hate crime has on an entire targeted community," says Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride, a national, Charlotte-based nonprofit for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities.

"Hate crimes terrorize an entire community -- in this case gay and lesbian people, namely our youth. The notion that all violent crimes are hate crimes is inaccurate and harmful to continually perpetuate in this manner," says Windmeyer. "A hate crime is a criminal act motivated by an act of bias toward an individual based on who they are -- their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability and in this case sexual orientation."

Read the full release here: http://conta.cc/gZRoiC

If you'd like to speak with Shane, please contact me at the number below, and we will be happy to set up an interview, as well as provide support materials, B-roll, logos and imagery.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Best,
Rachel

Rachel Sutherland
rachel@rachelsutherland.net
Rachel Sutherland Communications
rachelsutherland.net
704.287.8642
TWITTER: iftheshoefits