If You Think Hate Crimes Are Thought Crimes
Autumn Sandeen, in her post on Pam's House Blend, has a good point about opposition to hate crimes laws based on free speech.
If you think hate crimes are thought crimes, and that hate crimes laws attack freedom of speech, you may want to look at what you're trying to protect.
You're protecting a man who murdered a 15 year old girl for being Lesbian.
You're protecting two men who murdered a young man for being gay.
You're protecting two men and two teens who repeatedly gang raped a 28 year old woman because she was Lesbian.
You're protecting a man who murdered a young transgender woman.
Hate crime legislation does not prevent your pastor from saying "homosexuality is a sin". It doesn't even make it a crime for Westboro Baptist Church to march with signs that say "God Gates Fags" and "Matthew Shepherd Is In Hell".
Hate crime legislation enhances penalties for those crimes where the victim was selected because of race, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation - whether actual or perceived - and which were committed to cause fear in a group of people.
References:
If you think hate crimes are thought crimes, and that hate crimes laws attack freedom of speech, you may want to look at what you're trying to protect.
You're protecting a man who murdered a 15 year old girl for being Lesbian.
You're protecting two men who murdered a young man for being gay.
You're protecting two men and two teens who repeatedly gang raped a 28 year old woman because she was Lesbian.
You're protecting a man who murdered a young transgender woman.
Hate crime legislation does not prevent your pastor from saying "homosexuality is a sin". It doesn't even make it a crime for Westboro Baptist Church to march with signs that say "God Gates Fags" and "Matthew Shepherd Is In Hell".
Hate crime legislation enhances penalties for those crimes where the victim was selected because of race, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation - whether actual or perceived - and which were committed to cause fear in a group of people.
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References:
- Was Allen Ray Andrade Expressing The Kind Of Christian Free Speech That FOTF Is Talking About? [Pam's House Blend]
- Ryan Skipper [Wikipedia]
- Man Charged With Bias Crime for Girl’s Killing in Newark [NY Times]
- Lesbian Rape Called Hate Crime by Police [LA Criminal Defense Blog]
- Transgender murder, hate crime conviction a first [CNN]
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