Hate crimes bill covers gays, lesbians and military personnel

The U.S. Senate passed a hate crimes bill that broadens the current definition of federal hate crimes. The bill was passed on Oct. 8 in the House. President Obama has "promised" to sign it. Republicans and social conservatives oppose the legislation.

The U.S. Senate, by a vote of 68 to 29, passed a hate crimes bill today that expands the current definition of federal hate crimes. According to The Washington Post:

The law broadens the current definition of federal hate crimes -- which covers attacks motivated by race, color, religion or national origin -- to include those based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It would also create a new federal crime to cover attacks against U.S. military personnel because of their service.

The hate crimes bill is named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Shepard, a student at the Univerity of Wyoming, was murdered in 1998 reportedly because he was gay. That same year, Byrd, a resident of Texas, was dragged to death behind a pickup truck reportedly because he was black. As with the same bill passed by the House on Oct. 8, a majority of Republicans opposed it. Efforts to pass a similar bill by the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) stalled in the Senate and Pres. George W. Bush said he would veto it should it pass the U.S. Congress. Social conservatives fear that the bill violates First Amendment rights and is "a step toward a larger gay-rights agenda they strongly oppose" according to the Washington Post. While the Obama administration contends that is is misinterpretation of the law, religious group say it will criminalize their preaching against homosexuality. The Family Research Council's President, Tony Perkins, issued a statement about the hate crimes legislation, which reads in part:

This is not an inconsequential vote. Expanding hate crimes puts America in lock-step with the stated agenda of homosexual activists who will turn next to the so-called Employment Non-discrimination Act, followed by the repeal of the ban on homosexuality in the military and then the Defense of Marriage Act. More than 100,000 people have signed our petition opposing the 'hate crimes' measure as a violation of the First Amendment.

Many Democrats, like Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), support the bill. Leahy was quoted by the WP as saying, "I am proud that Congress has come together to show that violence against members of any group because of who they are will not be tolerated in this country." Leahy was instrumental in getting the hate crimes measure attached to the Department of Defense authorization. Some Republicans objected to that means of moving the hate crimes bill forward. For example, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) was quoted by the WP as saying, "It's a shame that this piece of legislation was added to a bill that's supposed to be about supporting our troops." Gay rights groups, on the other hand, lauded the Senate's action. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese told the WP, "We look forward to President Obama signing it into law: our nation's first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence. We now can begin the important steps to erasing hate in our country." President Obama is expected to sign the bill. In fact, he promised to do so at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner on Oct. 10. Pres. Obama said in part:

I promised her [Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard's mother] that we were going to pass an inclusive hate crimes bill -- a bill named for her son. This struggle has been long. Time and again we faced opposition. Time and again, the measure was defeated or delayed. But the Shepards never gave up. They turned tragedy into an unshakeable commitment. Countless activists and organizers never gave up. You held vigils, you spoke out, year after year, Congress after Congress. The House passed the bill again this week. And I can announce that after more than a decade, this bill is set to pass and I will sign it into law.