House votes against bill to add sexual orientation to hate law

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http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060209/APN/602090971

The state House voted Thursday against changing Alabama's hate crimes law to include offenses against people because of their sexual orientation.
On a procedural vote, the House lined up 40-37 against bringing the hate crimes bill up for consideration. The vote fell mostly along party lines, with Republicans opposing the bill, saying it would make an assault on certain people worse than an attack on others.

*snip*
Some Republicans said they would favor removing all hate crime laws from state law.
"I disagree with all hate crime laws," said Rep. Jay Love, R-Montgomery. "I don't think we should apply extra rights to one group of people over another. There are already laws dealing with someone assaulting or beating someone up."

[Syrinx]

1. they can't have it both ways... well I guess they can, actually

I have some sympathy for principled opposition to hate-crime laws, in that it makes some murders and assaults more "serious" than others. I also see the need to protect minorities, and concede that these statutes may help do that.

What really confounds me is that these people can pass a law to protect people based on "race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or physical or mental disability," yet refuse to do the same thing for sexual orientation. It's almost "permission by omission." If you want to kill a black person, just make sure he's gay first. :crazy:

And it's not just Republicans.

Senator Roger Bedford, a Democrat, said he supports having extra punishment for a crime committed because of something the victim can’t change, such as their race or a physical or mental defect, but he said sexual orientation should not be included.

“Your sexual orientation is a choice, and that can be changed,” he said.

Well, maybe Bedford can change to gay for a day or two to see things from another viewpoint.

In addition to being a bigoted idiot, Bedford is also a crook, by the way.