To the Editor:

Regarding Colleen Carroll Campbell's column "Hate crimes law promotes inequality and division" (Oct. 15): The Anti-Defamation League supports the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act. The HCPA does not burden the law, infringe on protected speech or open the law to additional abuse. Law enforcement will be enhanced, made more efficient and be better able to protect those who are targeted by physical violence. The law does not outlaw hate, as Ms. Campbell proclaims, but provides a means to punish those who engage in heinous acts motivated by hatred.

The HCPA, introduced in 1997, provides authority for federal officials to partner with state and local law enforcement to more effectively address hate violence. It provides authority for the federal government to prosecute violent bias-motivated crimes directed against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation, gender or gender identity or disability. There is little chance that this law would lead to abuse. Hate crimes legislation has been in place for years, but very few cases are prosecuted. Prosecutions typically are reserved for reprehensible cases that deserve more severe punishment than may be allowed under existing law.

Ms. Campbell said the statute would "exacerbate social divisions, by declaring some citizens inherently more deserving of protection...". They are not more deserving; they need more protection because they are victims of violence. The killings of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. are clear examples of what hatred can accomplish when it seeks violence.

The Anti-Defamation League looks forward to Senate approval of the measure and President Barack Obama's signature on it. Of that, we all should be proud.