Pro-family leader warns against federal ‘hate crimes’ as President Bush speaks out against current House efforts

Washington D.C., May 4, 2007 / 08:40 am

A California pro-family leader has warned about the consequences of passing "hate crimes" laws for children, religious leaders and regular citizens, as the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution in favor of the measure 237-180 on Thursday.

In the 1990s, the California Legislature (with a majority of Democrats) passed several "hate crimes" laws that placed transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality into the state's Civil Code and Penal Code, explained Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families.

In 1999, these "hate crimes" definitions were inserted into the Education Code, requiring all public schools in California to permit transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual teachers, in grades as young as kindergarten

"Today, California has transsexual kindergarten teachers and laws threatening $150,000 in government fines against anyone who refuses to hire a man who wears women's clothing,” he said in a press release. “H.R. 1592 isn't about stopping [hate] crime; it's a green light for government persecution of moral people in all 50 states."

"Adding transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality to 'hate crimes' laws is like opening Pandora's Box," warned Thomasson. He offered a chronology of events to demonstrate.

In 2001 and 2003, "hate crimes" definitions were placed into the Government Code, forcing business owners and landlords -- under threat of a state investigation and a $150,000 fine (without a trial) -- to hire transsexuals, bisexuals and homosexuals.

In 2005, these sexual lifestyles from the "hate crimes" statutes were expanded throughout the Labor Code, prohibiting every business that is open to the public from saying "no" to transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual customers or clients in restaurants, motels, and "businesses of every kind".

That same year, the state's definition of "gender" was inserted into the Insurance Code, forcing insurance carriers, i.e., ratepayers, to pay for sex-transition (sex-change) procedures.

In 2006, the Democrat-controlled California Legislature passed five laws promoting transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality in the housing industry, state and local elections, senior citizen programs, police departments, and courtrooms.

This year, the California Legislature is proposing to use the sexual definitions from the "hate crimes" laws to force all school curriculum, instructional materials, school sports teams, guest speakers, sex-education classes, and all school-sponsored activities to positively portray (or in the words of the Legislature, not "adversely reflect upon") all aspects of transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality.

"People of moral and religious values will suffer under the persecution that will result from this radical sexual agenda,” Thomasson warned. “California's experience proves it."

Regarding the current efforts in the House, the president said, "The Administration favors strong criminal penalties for violent crime, including crime based on personal characteristics, such as race, color, religion, or national origin.  However, the Administration believes that H.R. 1592 is unnecessary and constitutionally questionable.  If H.R. 1592 were presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”