Michigan's hate crime law will expand to include gender identity and sexual orientation protections, the first update in 36 years. Effective April 2, the law introduces additional categories such as physical or mental disability, age, and ethnicity. Increased penalties will be applied for committing hate crimes, now including stalking, with harsher punishments for repeat offenders. Michigan's Attorney General emphasized the necessity of these changes in light of rising hate crimes and the normalization of bigotry, asserting that stronger laws are essential for community protection.
Our state's previous hate crime laws were inadequate to deter and properly prosecute those that target Michigan residents with fear and hatred, simply for who they are.
Hate crimes are intended to send a message, an inherently violent message of intolerance, to vulnerable communities.
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