A couple of weeks ago, about 30 protestors huddled under umbrellas and picket signs outside Boston's Edward W. Brooke Courthouse last Thursday. Chanting "Jail time for hate crime" and "Without fail, send bashers to jail," they denounced Judge Thomas Horgan for sentencing admitted gay-basher Fabio Brandao to probation and anger-management classes rather than jail.

Brandao, a Framingham pizza deliveryman, pleaded guilty on May 27th to nine criminal charges, including four civil rights violations, in the August 2008 attack on three gay men and a female friend. The victims were walking down Columbus Avenue when four men called them "fucking faggots" and beat them, leaving two unconscious. Brandao was identified by his license plate and a cellphone he dropped at the scene; the more circumspect assailants remain at large.

Don Gorton, chair of the Anti-Violence Project Massachusetts, led the protest, declaring, "We're here today to let Judge Horgan know we think he was dead wrong, and we're going to speak up, fight back and protest as long there are these gay-bashers still on the street."

Jonathan Howard, one of the victims in the attack, now lives in Washington DC and was unable to attend the protest. "I hope that the protest really brings it to the forefront," Howard told the Dig. "I hope that ... people see what's happened and say that this can't happen again."

The courthouse rally was the latest in a series of scattered protests organized through Facebook and online mailing lists. In the days since Brandao's sentencing, activists like South End business owner Gary Briggs have made it a personal crusade. "The first five days, I did nothing at work," Briggs said. "All I did was post on Facebook and write letters, and research and learn more about the case."

Horgan didn't return repeated requests for comment.

Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney's office, wouldn't comment on the protests but said, "We still believe that Mr. Brandao's actions warranted jail time," due to the "violent and unprovoked" nature of the crime. "The promise of equal protection under the law is not a slogan," he added. "It is something that we take to heart and take very seriously."(http://www.weeklydig.com/%5Bcatpath%5D/200906/protest-bashes-gay-bashers)

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Legislation that would add gays and lesbians to the categories included under federal hate crime law is currently before Congress.

The time has come to ensure equal protection for all American citizens.  Too many American citizens have been harmed, if not killed, simply because of their sexual orientation. This cannot continue.

Urge your representative to vote for federal legislation which would include sexual orientation in all hate crime laws.