What conservative group opposed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act?”
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, an expansion of hate crimes law in the United States, may be passed by US Congress. The new law would allow federal prosecution of violence committed against someone based on their actual or perceived gender, disability, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity, in addition to existing areas of discrimation such as race. Christian conservative groups have been fighting the proposed law, citing concerns about freedom of speech and freedom of religious beliefs. Some are worried that their pastors may be prosecuted under the hate crime law if they preach against homosexuality, though supporters of the bill are skeptical.
A conservative litigation group delivered more than 100,000 petitions from across the US opposing the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Liberty Counsel a Virginia-based nonprofit founded in 1989 that uses education and litigation to advance conservative religious beliefs delivered the petitions to Attorney General Eric Holder, who has pressed Congress for greater hate crimes protections. The bill is named for Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten and left for dead in 1998 because of his sexual orientation. “Hate crimes laws will not be used to punish the perpetrators but will be used to silence people of faith, religious groups, clergy, and those who support traditional moral values,” Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, said in a news release.
