H.R. 1592

Commentary from Concerned Women for America

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Commentary: Bush to Kill Pro-"Gay" Bill? 5/8/2007

By J. Matt Barber

Liberals in the House of Representatives have passed the "hate crimes" bill, H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, by a margin of 237 to 180. The Senate version (S. 1105) deceptively and sensationally titled "The Matthew Shepard Act" is expected to be voted on soon. But to the consternation of the bill's proponents on the left, and to the relief of those who value the constitutional mandate of "equal protection under the law," the President's office has signaled that a veto is likely should the bill arrive on his desk.

This clearly unconstitutional piece of legislation would grant individuals who choose to engage in homosexual behavior ("sexual orientation") or cross-dressers suffering from gender identity disorder ("gender identity") favored treatment over other citizens by elevating them to a preferentially protected class of victim.

The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees "equal protection under the law" for all citizens - regardless of their sexual preference. This legislation flies in the face of the 14th Amendment creating a two-tier justice system made up of first-class victims such as homosexuals and cross-dressers, and second-class victims such as the elderly, children, pregnant women, the homeless and others who choose not to engage in homosexual or cross-dressing behaviors.

There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that homosexuals or cross-dressers do not receive equal protection under the law. In fact, you need only look to the most famous "hate crime" of all - Matthew Shepard - to arrive at that conclusion. Although the evidence determined that Shepard's murder was not a "hate crime" by definition (a misconception still widely propagated by the homosexual lobby, the media and liberal lawmakers) the two thugs who committed the crime nonetheless received life in prison, and rightfully so. (Shepard's murder turned out to be the end result of a robbery for drug money gone from bad to horrible).

By the same token, the murderer of Mary Stachowicz, a devout Catholic grandmother who was brutally killed by a homosexual man in Chicago merely for sharing the Bible, was also given a life sentence. The system worked in both cases, and both victims received equal justice under the law apart from any "hate crimes" legislation.

Epidemic Schmepidemic

The facts don't lie. There is no epidemic of "hate crimes" violence against homosexuals or cross-dressers as the left would have you believe. In fact, such alleged "hate crimes" are few and far between and on the decline. According to the latest FBI statistics, in 2005 there were nearly 1.4 million violent crimes in the U.S. Of those, little more than 1,000 were reported as "hate crimes" directed against homosexuals or cross dressers. Well over half of those were reports of "intimidation," "hateful" words or pushing and shoving, with only 177 cases of aggravated assault nationwide. There were ZERO "hate crimes" murders committed against homosexuals or cross-dressers in 2005…..