President hails new hate crimes law a step toward "a more perfect union."

clipped from www.advocate.com Shepard Bill Reception Proves Emotional President Barack Obama hosted a White House reception to commemorate the signing of hate crimes legislation in which he hailed the new law as a step toward "a more perfect union." "As a nation we've come far on the journey towards a more perfect union. And today, we've taken another step forward," Obama said. "This is the culmination of a struggle that has lasted more than a decade. Time and again, we faced opposition. Time and again, the measure was defeated or delayed. Time and again we've been reminded of the difficulty of building a nation in which we're all free to live and love as we see fit." Judy Shepard said the law — named in honor of her son Matthew, who was killed in 1998 by two men in Wyoming — was just the beginning. “This is the first step,” she said, tears rimming her eyes after more than 10 roller-coaster years filled with advocacy and anticipation. “We have a lot to do, we need to be grateful for this and move on.”