Washington D.C., Oct 22, 2009 / 16:15 pm
The advance of a bill that would create penalties to punish “hate crimes” comes at a time of increasing intolerance towards those who support the traditional definition of marriage and reject homosexual activism, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins noted on Wednesday, causing him to ask, “Where's the protection for them?”
In his e-mail newsletter, Perkins urged his readers to voice opposition to the hate crimes bill currently under consideration in the Senate, saying it was “not an inconsequential vote.”
“Expanding hate crimes puts America in lock-step with the stated agenda of homosexual activists,” he wrote, predicting that its backers will then turn to the Employment Non-discrimination Act, the repeal of the ban on open homosexuality in the military and the Defense of Marriage Act.
He reported that more than 100,000 people have signed a petition opposing the hate crimes measure as a violation of the First Amendment. The measure is attached to a military spending bill.