Dear sherry,

We just got the news: the U.S. House has passed the fully inclusive Matthew Shepard Act.

This was not an easy victory. But we WON in the House – thanks in part to the tireless, fearless Judy Shepard, who joined me in critical last-minute meetings on Capitol Hill today.

Now the battle moves to the Senate.

We need every Senator to know we want quick action on the inclusive hate crimes bill. You've emailed, you've called, you've donated – and I thank you deeply – but I hope you understand that this fight is far from over.

President Obama has pledged to sign the bill, but to get it to his desk we'll need to pass it through the Senate first. And with the lies from right-wing groups ALREADY intensifying – one group went so far as to say the bill makes "pedophiles a protected class" and is "pro-child molester" – it's not going to be easy