WASHINGTON (RNS) Progressive religious leaders hailed the passage Thursday (Oct. 22) of a hate crimes bill they say will better protect gay victims from violent acts.
By a vote of 68-29, the Senate passed the provision, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, as part of a larger 2010 defense authorization bill.
“In an America increasingly rife with uncivil and narrow-minded bickering, this new law can serve as a ringing pronouncement of our democracy’s common values,” said the Rev. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance. “Namely, that we utterly reject hate violence and embrace an America in which diverse people are safe as well as free.”
The provision was named for Shepard, a gay Wyoming man slain in 1998 and Byrd, an African-American Texas man who was dragged to his death the same year. It adds sexual orientation to a list of federally protected classes.
The passage of the bill was hailed by Integrity, a pro-gay ministry within the Episcopal Church, Shepard’s denomination, as “groundbreaking.”
Conservative Christian leaders criticized the bill, saying that it might limit the rights of clergy to speak against homosexuality.
“This hate crimes provision is part of a radical social agenda that could ultimately silence Christians and use the force of government to marginalize anyone whose faith is at odds with homosexuality,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.
Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said the law will hold people accountable for their actions, not their thoughts.
“This carefully crafted law will not infringe on any individual’s First Amendment rights,” he said. “It addresses violent acts and no person, whether a faith leader or otherwise, will be prosecuted for their thoughts, words, or beliefs.”