Hate Crimes Bill May Come To Senate Vote; Clergy Take Opposing Sides

A bill to expand federal hate crimes prohibitions to cover crimes of violence motivated by the victim's sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, may come up for a vote in the U.S. Senate today or early next week. In order to move forward on the bill, the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S.1105) has been proposed as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill by Senators Edward Kennedy and Gordon Smith. The House has already passed a version of the bill. Christian pro-family groups staged a rally at the Capitol on Wednesday opposing the bill. They argue that the bill threatens free speech of those opposed to homosexuality. Supporters of the bill strongly contest this claim, and in a full page ad in Roll Call on Wednesday, over 1300 clergy urged passage of the bill. Developments were reported yesterday by the Christian Post and by the Washington Blade.