Judy Shepard Is Not Giving Up

[DSM4Life]

I dont think that a persons personal feelings or motivations for committing a crime should be weighed in the sentencing or prosecution of a crime. People are entitled to feel however they want about a particular person, and trying to pass tougher legislation on acts that they commit motivated by a certain ideology or feeling, I am completely opposed to.

It has nothing to do with how I feel about LGBT people, but simply from a Constitutional standpoint, and I feel it is a path down another slippery slope. Where we say, "Ok you killed someone, so now you're going to serve 15 years" and then in another instance say "Well, you killed that person because they were black" or "You killed that person because they were gay"... What makes the aforementioned persons life worthy of any lesser of a sentence for the person who murdered them, than someone who was murdered because the person who killed them "hated" them. I'm sure that whenever someone murders another person that they dont particularly like them. I also feel its almost next to impossible to prove a persons motives/feelings/ideologies beyond a reasonable doubt in a hate case, unless they're a card carrying member of the KKK or some other hate group.

So, I do not mean to offend anyone with my post, but those are my feelings on that issue. I completely respect anyones right to live their lives they way they want to, and I would never treat them differently for those personal choices they make. It is ashame I even have to write this little disclaimer, because whenever a person speaks against some kind of legislation (even if it contradicts the Constitution) they get labeled as a bigot.

If i call a black person the N word before i hit him it’s considered a hate crime and i can be punished further for that. Now if i am called a fag and hit then it’s nothing more than a confrontation.

That seems fair to you ?

Its about being equal not favored.

[DSM4Life]

Hate crimes (also known as bias motivated crimes) occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, usually defined by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation.[1] Hate crimes differ from conventional crime because they are not directed simply at an individual, but are meant to cause fear and intimidation in an entire group or class of people.

Hate crime can take many forms. Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters.[2]



United States
Main article: Hate crime laws in the United States
As defined in the 1999 NCVS (National Crime Victim Survey), "A hate crime is a criminal offense committed against a person or property motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, religion, ethnicity/national origin, gender, sexual preference, or disability. The offense is considered a hate crime whether or not the offender's perception of the victim as a member or supporter of a protected group is correct".[21]

In the United States federal prosecution is possible for hate crimes committed on the basis of a person's race, color, religion, or nation origin when engaging in a federally protected activity. As of October, 2007, Congress is considering legislation that would add gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability to the list (see Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007).


ref http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_Crimes

[thegodfather]

If i call a black person the N word before i hit him it’s considered a hate crime and i can be punished further for that. Now if i am called a fag and hit then it’s nothing more than a confrontation.

That seems fair to you ?

Its about being equal not favored.

No I dont think its fair. I dont think that should be a law either. I'm opposed to any law like that on principle alone.

[kfrost06]

If i call a black person the N word before i hit him it’s considered a hate crime and i can be punished further for that. Now if i am called a fag and hit then it’s nothing more than a confrontation.

That seems fair to you ?

Its about being equal not favored.

Honestly, I have never seen a fight where one guy didn't call the other the F word. The N word is different and for starters one can make a visual distinction based on the color of skin when it comes to sexual preference however one can not look at someone and tell they are gay(o.k. there are a few exceptions like Liberachi).