Bipolar disorder, which used to be called manic depressive illness or manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by wide mood swings from high (manic) to low (depressed). Periods of high or irritable mood are called manic episodes.
James Byrd, Jr. was not engaged in a federally-protected activity when he was lynched and killed. The Matthew Shepard Act expanded the 1969 Federal Hate Crime Law to cover these and other types of brutal murders.
States with hate crime laws that include crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identityâ15 states & the District of Columbia. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington. States with hate crime laws that include crimes based on sexual orientationâ15 states. Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin.