Congress Must Reject Pro-Pedophile, Anti-Christian 'Hate Crime' Bill

Traditional Values Coalition Chairman Rev. Louis P. Sheldon and TVC Executive Director Andrea Lafferty issued the following statement today in opposition to the so-called hate crimes bill--H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act:On behalf of millions of Christians, pastors and churches, we are asking Congress to reject passage of H.R. 1913. It threatens our most treasured and foremost freedoms-- religious liberty and freedom of speech.

The "moral" of this law, if it has one, is that child molesters and those who only "date" dead people need to be protected, but it is open season on pastors and churchgoers. Facts about HR 1913, the so-called hate crimes bill:

· A pastor’s sermon could be considered “hate speech” under this legislation if heard by an individual who then acts aggressively against persons based on any “sexual orientation.” The pastor could be prosecuted for “conspiracy to commit a hate crime.”
Christians have already been jailed and prosecuted under a hate crime law in Pennsylvania.
· In a nation of 300 million, there is no nationwide epidemic of hate against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. FBI hate crime statistics for 2007 prove this. According to FBI data, there were 16,929 murders in the U.S. in 2007. Of that number, 9 murders were classified as “hate crimes”. There were only 242 cases of actual bodily harm (aggravated assault) out of 855,856 nationally.
· Provides federal protection for "sexual orientation," and "gender identity," either “actual” or “perceived.” None of these terms are defined in the legislation.

· Sexual orientation is defined by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The APA definition includes 30 mostly bizarre sexual behaviors--including pedophilia.

· Ensures that crimes against a transgender, drag queen or a gay man are treated more harshly than a sexual assault on a child. It will make pedophiles a protected class who can claim federal protection if they are injured by a parent as a result of molesting a child.

· Will not protect other classes of people who are known targets of crime--senior citizens, members of the military, pregnant women/unborn children.

Last week’s Mark Up of H.R. 1913 in the House Judiciary Committee should be a wake-up call to all Americans.

These three clips from the Mark Up show the conflict between conservatives and liberals over the LGBT political agenda. Democrats would not even support an amendment to exclude pedophilia from protection under the “sexual orientation” wording in H.R. 1913. They refused to define “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in the bill!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=510R5osD9Rk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_qfgC_3BYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbkaEyAHsak