Hate Crimes Legislation Vote Today - keep your fingers crossed

Congress will be voting on hate crimes legislation today and hopefully it will pass.

Our friends at the phony news site, One News Now, is already conceding this point.

If it does pass (and hopefully it will), some of the credit has to go to the religious right. Organizations such as the Traditional Values Coalition and the Liberty Counsel are encouraging their supporters to inudate Congress with emails and phone calls speaking against hate crimes legislation.

But their information is not only wrong but alarmingly wrong:

Hate Crimes Bill Protects Cross-Dressers and Pedophiles but Not Veterans or Grandmas

Contact: Liberty Counsel Public Relations Department, 800-671-1776

WASHINGTON, April 28 /Standard Newswire/ -- On Wednesday, April 29, the U.S. House is scheduled to vote on so-called "hate crimes" legislation, which would give "actual or perceived" "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" the same federal protection as race. Last week the House Judiciary Committee refused to exclude pedophiles from the bill's protection. The Committee also refused to include veterans. Moreover, the bill does not include the elderly. H.R. 1913 (Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009) is not about stopping crime but is designed to give "actual or perceived" sexual preference or "gender identity" (which is still classified as a mental disorder) the same legal status as race. The DSM IVR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose mental disorders) lists more than 30 "sexual orientations" and "Gender Identity Disorders," including pedophilia. The hate crimes bill does not limit "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" and, thus, includes all these disorders and fetishes. The use of "actual or perceived" includes those with disorders or deviant sexual preferences and those who do not have such disorders or fetishes, so long as it is alleged that the person charged allegedly "thought" the other person had such disorder or fetish.

It's one thing to inudate your representative with emails and phone calls, but it's quite another to do such using bad information. Elected officials are not stupid and just how many of them will be swayed by information that they know to be inaccurate?

I have a feeling that the information put out by the religious right may have the opposite effect, i.e. alienating members of Congress and demonstrating the need for lgbt inclusive hate crimes legislation.

At least I sincerely hope so.