President Signs New Hate Crimes Law As Part of Defense Authorization Act

Yesterday afternoon, President Obama signed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. His statement at the signing ceremony focused mainly on the defense spending portions of the bill. A few hours later he hosted a reception commemorating another part of the bill, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. (See prior posting.) In his statement there (full text), he described the legislation:

through this law, we will strengthen the protections against crimes based on the color of your skin, the faith in your heart, or the place of your birth. We will finally add federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.... And prosecutors will have new tools to work with states in order to prosecute to the fullest those who would perpetrate such crimes. Because no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability.

WorldNet Daily reported on statements by a number of conservative Christian groups criticizing the new law.