The Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes was an agency created by Governor William Weld, coordinating representatives of the state police and local law enforcement agencies with community advocates to further efforts to prevent and prosecute bias-motivated crime in Massachusetts. The Task Force was given permanent status by Weld's successor, Governor Paul Cellucci in 1998.Governor's Task Force On Hate Crimes Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved January 10, 2007. In 2003 Romney vetoed a bill funding hate crimes prevention, after which he impounded money previously approved by his predecessor, Governor Jane Swift, for a bullying prevention program.Unmasking Kerry Healey Blue Mass Group Thu Sep 21, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2007. The author of the bullying prevention program was Don Gorton, who had been appointed chair of the Task Force on Hate Crimes by Weld in 1991. The anti-bullying program attracted the ire of right-wing Christian activists.Mann, A. Middle School Transgender Bullying? MassResistance. October 13, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2007. Romney's actions against the Task Force preceded his efforts to dismantle same-sex marriage, which was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
