NEWS: Senate Votes to Add ‘Sexual Orientation’ to Federal ‘Hate Crimes’ Categories

[FPN] – Both houses of Congress have now voted to extend special ‘hate crimes’ protections to some people on the basis of their private sexual misconduct. Last night, five Republicans joined fifty-eight Democrats to support a defense appropriations amendment that will add the term ‘sexual orientation’ to the list of federal ‘hate crimes.’ The effect of this change will be to give greater emphasis to crimes committed against certain victims — specifically because they engage in some sort of sexually-deviant behavior.

Family Policy Network (FPN) opposes adding ‘sexual orientation’ to ‘hate crimes’ categories, primarily because it is a move designed to elevate immoral lifestyles to civil rights status. Moreover, it poses a serious threat to religious liberties. Two amendments designed to protect free speech were added to the measure before passage, but FPN maintained its opposition to the proposal for reasons documented here:

FPN Policy Paper on adding ‘Sexual Orientation’ to ‘Hate Crimes’:
http://familypolicy.net/papers-p-378

The defense appropriations bill, which now includes the pro-homosexual hate crimes amendment, is widely expected to be approved as early as the week of July 20th. It will then go to President Obama to be signed into law.

While President Obama has promised to veto the defense spending bill if it includes funding for a specific military program he calls “wasteful,” the White House has assured homosexual activists that the president remains committed to signing a hate crimes bill into law. “The President has long supported the hate crimes bill and gave his personal commitment [. . .] that we will enact an inclusive bill,” said White House spokesman Shin Inouye.

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Senators who SUPPORTED the pro-homosexual ‘hate crimes’ proposal that passed Thursday night:

 

5 Republicans:
Collins (R-ME)
Lugar (R-IN)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Snowe (R-ME)
Voinovich (R-OH)

58 Democrats and 1 Independent:
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

These 7 Republicans did not cast a vote:

Alexander (R-TN)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Corker (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Martinez (R-FL)