The campaign of presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama is stressing the Illinois senator’s strong support for passage of the Matthew Shepard Act, which would expand the federal definition of hate crimes to include crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression.

The brother of one victim of a hate crime spoke Monday during a telephone conference call from the Obama campaign to reporters from the gay press.

Damien Skipper said that in March last year he received a call he never wanted to get. He was told that his 25-year-old brother, Ryan, was dead.

“Ryan was stabbed over 20 times, his throat was slit. His body was dumped on a dirt road,” Damien said. “I think everyone can relate to the tragedy and how difficult it is to lose a loved one. Now imagine how we lost him.”

Two men have been arrested and charged with Ryan Skipper’s death. Skipper was killed March 14, 2007, and the accused killers are expected to go to trial in the next six months. They allegedly told investigators from the Polk County Sheriff’s Department in Florida that they killed Skipper because he was gay.

“I think most Americans would be shocked and appalled if they knew how often attacks like this happen,” Damien told the call. He said that after getting the news of his brother’s death, he spent time digging up the statistics on anti-gay bias crimes, and that while they were hard to find, they were “appalling.”

Obama agrees that anti-gay bias crimes are are a real problem, and as a result he got Rep. John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Matt Nosanchuk, convener of the Obama for America LGBT Steering and Policy Committee, to tout his record and his support for passage of hate crimes legislation.

The Matthew Shepard Act has run into roadblocks since passing the House in April. But Nosanchuk said that will change with an Obama presidency.

“Sen. Obama has made this a legislative priority,” Nosanchuk said. “That changes the environment for passing such a bill in the Congress. ”

Nosanchuk said the conference call was being held to highlight the difference between Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona. McCain has voted against hate crimes bills in the Senate. Obama interrupted his campaign last fall to vote in favor of hate crimes legislation.

As Nosanchuk put it: “It is important to note that, in the vision of America Sen. Obama puts forward, there is no place for hate crimes. Every American should be safe and be able to walk the streets and not fear they are being attacked on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”