Remember those wacked out religious right anti-gay protesters I told you about yesterday? Well, their case is now being used by anti-gay bigots in Pennsylvania in an effort to strike gays from the state's hate crime laws. (This is why I raise these issues - it's not just to bash these morons, but it's because unless we expose them and publicly humiliate them, the religious right will continue to lie about the real story here, and worse, they will continue to lie about these hateful bigots, portraying them as kind innocent Christian "victims," in an effort to pass even more anti-gay legislation.)
Why any politician, or any organization, would side with freaks that walk about with "Got AIDS Yet?" signs, well, it certainly says something about that legislator. Anyone want to do a search for the contact info of these folks quoted in the article below - perhaps we should inform them of who they're defending, and ask why they dare desecrate Christianity by aligning it with these nutjobs:
Legislators in Pennsylvania have introduced a bill designed to remove language from a state "hate crimes" law that was used against Christian protestors in the "Outfest" case in Philadelphia. The arrests of the Christians allowed political opponents of the hate crimes law to say their warnings were ignored.
House Bill 1493 became Act 143 of the Pennsylvania Hate Crimes Law in November 2002 and added "sexual orientation" protection to the law. Legislators and other opponents -- like Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania -- warned then that the law could be used against the First Amendment rights of Christians, a charge sponsors adamantly denied was the intent. She even recalls one of the measure's supporters accusing opponents of having "an active imagination," and saying the bill was about "thugs, hooligans, murderers, and blood in the street," not about infringing on the rights of Christians.
That was until the pro-homosexual Outfest event in October 2004, when the "ethnic intimidation" charge against the arrested Christians was drawn from Act 143. Gramley says opponents of the measure now have the proof they need -- and 17 of them have co-sponsored House Bill 204.
"[This bill] removes the wording that was added back in November 2002 [when] 'actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity' [were added]," she explains.
State Representative Tom Yewcic was to introduce the new bill today (February 7) at a capital news conference. Gramley calls the lawmakers' move a "bold step in restoring the First Amendment rights of Pennsylvania's Christians."
Five of the Christians arrested at the Outfest event are stilling facing 47 years in prison and fines up to $90,000 each. Those who were arrested committed no violence against homosexuals at the gathering. However, a city prosecutor declared that the bullhorn used by one of the Christians was an "instrument of crime."
