Ex-'gays' accuse senators of discrimination
Passed hate-crimes bill but reject 'tolerance for former homosexuals'
Posted: June 22, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
2004 WorldNetDaily.com
An activist group is accusing senators of discrimination for passing a "hate
crimes" amendment on sexual orientation but refusing to consider a resolution
supporting tolerance for ex-homosexuals.
The resolution promoted by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, or PFOX, says
"Congress condemns hate against ex-gays and affirms its commitment to a society
that respects all people, including former homosexuals."
Last Tuesday, the Senate approved 65-33 an amendment sponsored by Sen. Edward
Kennedy to expand federal hate-crime laws to include homosexuals. The
legislation is part of the Defense Authorization Act, which Congress must pass
this year. If the bill is approved as a whole, a conference committee will
reconcile the Senate's version with the House's, which does not include the
hate crimes amendment.
PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs says she can't understand why Republican
Sen. George Allen of Virginia voted for the hate-crimes amendment but refused
to co-sponsor a resolution calling for tolerance for "ex-gays."
"Now who could be opposed to that?" asked Griggs, who says her group came to
Capitol Hill last month for "Ex-Gay Lobby Days."
Rev. Darryl Foster, an African-American former homosexual, asked Allen's office
to sign on to the resolution but was rebuffed.
"Allen's office said that acknowledging ex- gays through the resolution would
amount to 'favoritism' and the senator would not do that," said Foster.
Griggs insisted it's Allen who appears to be "playing favorites" by
discriminating against former homosexuals.
"Sen. Allen voted for the Kennedy gay hate-crimes law which will cost taxpayers
$5 million a year to implement, yet refuses to co-sponsor our resolution, which
is merely a statement condemning hate against former homosexuals and costs
nothing to implement," she said. "It doesn't make sense."
PFOX says for the past two years, Kennedy's office has refused to make an
appointment to meet with his former-homosexual constituents on Ex-Gay Lobby
Days.
"Because of his closed door policy to ex-gays, Kennedy's gay hate-crimes law
will not protect former homosexuals," said Griggs. "Sen. Kennedy's intolerance
and ignorance of ex-gay issues, and Sen. Allen's refusal to consider supporting
a resolution for ex-gays, is unfortunate in this age of civil rights."
Kennedy's hate-crimes proposal would be the first major expansion of the 1968
hate-crimes statue, which allows federal prosecution of crimes based on race,
color, religion or national origin.
Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said of the hate-crimes provision: "I cannot think
of a more decent and Christian thing to do. ... When people are being stoned in
the public square, we ought to come to their rescue."
But fellow Republican, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, contends Kennedy's
amendment is unnecessary.
"Crimes against another person are crimes of hate regardless of who the
individual is," he said. "This is a hateful thing to do."
Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute at Concerned Women
for America, argues the hate-crimes language violates equal protection under
the law for all citizens.
"When you start dividing people into categories and devote more resources to
some victims rather than others," he said, "you're violating equal protection."
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., warned the bill could end up "criminalizing
thought."
But Smith sees the hate-crimes legislation, supported by 18 Republicans and
every Democrat, as an important precursor to dealing with the proposed federal
amendment banning same-sex marriage, which he supports.
"Before you get to marriage, get over hate," he said.
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