Description of U.S. hate crime
legislation, from all viewpoints

Sponsored link.

About hate crime legislation:

A hate crime is a crime of violence that is motivated by hatred. Typically, the perpetrator and the victim are strangers to each other.

The rage of the perpetrator is directed both at the victim, and at the group to which the victim belongs. The perpetrator might beat up one person, but the crime was motivated by hatred for everyone who bears some similarity to the victim -- perhaps hatred of all people of the victim's race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, or disability.

Since the crime is:

	partly directed at the victim's community,
	Involves violence and sometimes death,
	occurs at an unpredictable time and location,
	victimizes a randomly selected person,

some consider it a type of terrorist act.

As HR 1913, a hate crimes bill passed by the federal House in 2009, states: "Such violence disrupts the tranquility and safety of communities and is deeply divisive."

Conflicts over hate crime legislation:

There are three main points of conflict:

Topics in this section:

	Introduction: Quotations; updating legislation; current status of bills   Definitions; existing laws
	U.S. hate crime statistics Physical attacks motivated by religion or sexual orientation. Data accuracy
	Hate crime law arguments: pro & con. Civil rights concerns about these laws.
	Will hate crime bills inhibit free speech?
	Including sexual orientation as a protected class
	Attempts to pass hate crime bills -- unsuccessful so far   Timeline of legislative activity In the federal Senate In the federal House In various states   Year 2007 effort: House hate-crimes bill H.R. 1592, (Did not become law): Proposed text; support; opposition Exactly who is protected/not protected by the bill? Quotations by social and religious conservatives Liberals and conservatives differ on H.R. 1592; who is right? Markup activity in the committee and vote in the House   Year 2007 activity: Senate hate-crimes bill S 1105, (Did not become law): Proposed text. Bill passes senate, but fails. Support and opposition by religious groups   Year 2009 activity: House hate-crimes bill << Current activity A general overview of the bill House activity. Fatal flaw in wording Attacks by religious & social conservatives: Reaction by conservative religious groups Based on free speech concerns
	California hate-crimes law (2004)

Related topic:

Canadian bill C-250 concerning hate propaganda

Site navigation:

Home > "Hot" religious topics > Homosexuality > Laws> Hate > here

Home > Religious laws > Homosexual laws> Hate > here

Home page > Religious hatred & conflict > Laws > Hate > here

Copyright © 1999 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2009-JUN-28
Author: B.A. Robinson

Sponsored link:

Go to the previous page, or to the Homosexual hate laws menu, or choose:

Web ReligiousTolerance.org

Sponsored link: