I think that this is far more important than we realize.
Senate-bill controversy centers mostly on gender identity, sexual orientation
By BARBARA KARKABI
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
The current federal hate-crimes law applies only to violence against victims based on race, religion, color or national origin, and only when the victim is attacked while carrying out a federally protected act, such as voting.
• Pending legislation would make it a federal hate crime to attack someone if the crime were motivated by prejudice based on the victim's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
• The Matthew Shepard Act , the popular name for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, passed the U.S. House of Representatives 237-180 and is pending in the Senate. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., is pushing for action on it this fall.
• Opponents include the Southern Baptist Convention, Vision America and James Dobson, leader and founder of Focus on the Family.
• Supporters include the interfaith Clergy Against Hate, which has gathered signatures from an estimated 1,400 clergy from more than 75 faith traditions. A May Gallup poll found that 68 percent of Americans favor the expansion of the federal hate-crimes law.
Every Thursday like clockwork, the Rev. John Crimmins sits down to write his Sunday sermon.
The senior pastor at Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church feels a moral duty to preach that marriage is between one man and one woman and that homosexual behavior is a sin.
These principles, he says, are clearly stated in the Bible. Just as important, he believes, is his freedom to preach as he sees fit without government interference.
Like many other conservative Christian pastors, Crimmins is concerned about a bill pending in the U.S. Senate that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the criteria for federal hate crimes.
He worries that it could criminalize preaching against issues including homosexuality, same-sex marriage and abortion, and muzzle pastors in the pulpit.
Crimmins and other like-minded pastors agree that anyone assaulting a fellow human being should be punished. But they believe current laws are sufficient.
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