Hate Crimes Bill Punishes Heinous Acts, Not Beliefs (Rep. Jerrold Nadler)

I was proud to join 236 of my colleagues last week when we passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007.  This landmark legislation deals with violent crimes committed against victims simply because of who they are.  Violent attacks because of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability often cause serious injury or death. They are more serious than a normal assault because they target not just an individual, but an entire group of people. These vicious attacks spread fear to all members of the group.  Such acts violate the fundamental values of America.

The law routinely looks to the motivation of a crime and treats the more heinous of them differently.  Manslaughter is different from premeditated murder, which is different from a contract killing. The law makes these distinctions all the time. The hate crimes act simply says that crimes of violence motivated by one’s status are particularly heinous and ought to be treated as such. And, contrary to what opponents said during the debate, the act does not create a “thought police.”  The bill only punishes vicious acts – not beliefs or thoughts.

The bill is also a major milestone for gay and lesbian Americans in the fight against hate crimes.  In a historic achievement for the LGBT community, the hate crimes act specifically includes protections based on gender identity.