Would federal hate-crimes law threaten religious freedom?
Inside the First Amendment By Charles C. Haynes First Amendment Center senior scholar 06.10.07 May 3, 2007, will go down in history as either a civil rights milestone or a day of infamy — depending on which side of the culture war you’re on. That’s the day the U.S. House of Representatives voted 236 to 180 to pass H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. Among other things, the bill extends the definition of “hate crimes” to include violent attacks on people because of sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability. After the vote, a coalition of some 200 gay and other civil rights organizations celebrated what one gay newspaper hailed as the first “free-standing gay and transgender civil rights bill” to pass either house of Congress. Christian conservative groups are condemning the legislation with an outrage ranging from apoplectic to apocalyptic. “Under the cover of fighting so-called ‘hate crimes,’” writes Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Va
