The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Thursday on legislation that would create a new class of crimes based on the victim's "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity."
Under "hate-crimes" laws like H.R. 1913, pastors could be prosecuted for preaching the biblical view of homosexuality. Similar laws have been used to prosecute religious speech in the U.S. at the state level and abroad.
"The homosexual activists' mantra is no longer tolerance — it's embrace and promote," said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst at Focus on the Family Action. "Anything less will be silenced. Christians must speak up."
John Whitehead, founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, said the legislation is riddled with problems.
"The problem, which few want to acknowledge for fear of being labeled politically incorrect, or worse homophobic, is that in order to crack down on hateful behavior ... thoughts and expression must also be targeted — which runs diametrically counter to the First Amendment's protections for free speech and expression," he wrote in a commentary today.
The legislation is also unnecessary.
Whitehead cites FBI stats showing that of the nearly 1.5 million violent crimes in the U.S. in 2007, just 1,460 were reportedly based on "sexual orientation."
"Hate-crime laws are redundant," he writes. "There are already a host of stiff penalties on the books for those who commit acts of unspeakable horror."
TAKE ACTION
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and reportedly said he is not hearing from family advocates on this issue. Please e-mail and/or call your U.S. representative and request a vote against the hate-crimes bill (H.R. 1913). You can find contact information through our Action Center.
