Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would expand hate crime laws and make it a federal crime to assault people on the basis of their sexual orientation. But House Republican Leader John Boehner objects. Boehner believes because sexual orientation is a choice, crimes against gays should be considered
“thought” crimes and not
“hate” crimes. Interesting! If someone is convicted of a hate crime they are subject to punishment beyond what they would have otherwise received. But the expanded federal law from Congress now eliminates requirements that victims of hate crimes be engaged in a certain activity to qualify for protection. It would also provide grants to prosecute hate crimes and allow the federal government to assist local authorities in hate crimes investigations. Spokesman Kevin Smith said Boehner
“supports existing federal protections (race, religion, gender, etc.) based on immutable characteristics,” but
“does not support adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes.”
Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would expand hate crime laws and make it a federal crime to assault people on the basis of their sexual orientation. But House Republican Leader John Boehner objects. Boehner believes because sexual orientation is a choice, crimes against gays should be considered “thought” crimes and not “hate” crimes. Interesting! If someone is convicted of a hate crime they are subject to punishment beyond what they would have otherwise received. But the expanded federal law from Congress now eliminates requirements that victims of hate crimes be engaged in a certain activity to qualify for protection. It would also provide grants to prosecute hate crimes and allow the federal government to assist local authorities in hate crimes investigations. Spokesman Kevin Smith said Boehner “supports existing federal protections (race, religion, gender, etc.) based on immutable characteristics,” but “does not support adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes.”
