Workman, a senior at Colorado State University, said that after being harassed in high school for being gay she went to her teachers for help, only to have her problem go unacknowledged.
"They told me there is no such thing as gay people in high school," Workman said.
She said that being ignored felt equally as bad as being singled out by her peers.
When Workman was in high school, there were few laws in the books that would have prohibited that kind of harassment. Now, talk of hate crimes laws have brought issues like Workman's to the forefront of American politics. On Jan. 25, nine members of the House Judiciary Committee, including Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter, spoke in favor of House Bill 1168, which would allow increased protection of people targeted for crimes on the basis of age, disability or sexual orientation. The two members of the House Judiciary committee who spoke in opposition of the bill were unable to prevent it from moving to the House Appropriations committee for review.
Rep. Penfield Tate, D-Denver, sponsored HB 1168 in hopes of eventually expanding Colorado's definition of hate crimes to include those motivated by the victim's age, disability or sexual orientation. The proposal would enable Colorado courts to deal out harsher penalties for hate crimes. Tate was unavailable for comment last week.
"I think it's good," Workman said of HB 1168. "Any act that's persecuting any group of people is a hate crime, and I think we should recognize that and have a response to that. There isn't enough punishment based on common respect."
A Senate version of the measure, Senate Bill 32, has not met with as much success. After being looked at by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 26, SB 32 was postponed indefinitely. Legislative secretary Nancy Morse of the House of Representatives did not state a reason for the postponement and said there is no date set for reconsideration of SB 32 at this time. Both the House and Senate versions of the bill redefine ethnic intimidation crimes as hate crimes. Both bills stipulate that it is the right of every person, regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, age or sexual orientation, to be secure and protected from fear, intimidation, harassment and physical harm caused by the activities of individuals and groups.
Most opponents of HB 1168 take issue with the inclusion of sexual orientation and race, claiming the bill will create a create a protected class of people with special rights. Many also assert that existing laws are sufficient and additional legislation is unnecessary.
"If you want to be treated like everyone else, then act like everyone else," said Enioma Haynes, a sophomore speech communications major. Haynes also said that labeling crimes of ethnic intimidation as hate crimes takes emphasis away from crimes committed on the basis of ethnicity, the most frequent motivation behind Colorado's hate crimes. In addition, opponents of the bill claim there is no need for such a measure as there is no growing epidemic of crime against homosexuals. However, a 1998 report issued by the Colorado Uniform Crime Reporting Program categorizing hate crimes by bias motivation, shows that from 1996 to 1998, offenses motivated by race/ethnicity and sexual orientation have re-mained the largest group of hate crimes in Colorado.
Workman said that if laws are not enacted against crimes that are committed with the intent to hurt a specific "type" of person, an environment permissive of such behavior will ensue, bringing more hideous crimes with it. CSU student Rod Rodriguez said that he feels there is enough of an atmosphere of hate to validate the need for a widening of the law. He said that if HB 1168 were to be voted down, he would take that as blatant oppression of elderly, disabled and gay people.
"Those people (critics of the bill) just don't know how it feels to walk to your car late at night and have to look over your shoulder," Rodriguez said, "They probably have never had to experience the feeling of being yelled at and spit at; they don't know what its like to face these things and feel afraid and threatened, just for being themselves and expressing how they feel."
And yet many, like Workman, remain optimistic about the future.
"As a member of the world-wide community and as a lesbian, I personally have a lot of joy and hope that things (in the Colorado legislature) are running smoothly," she said. "I think that we all need to celebrate our differences because that's what makes this world colorful... When you see opposition, then you know that people are working hard every day to make a difference in the way we see things."