The hate-crimes wedge.Why would Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives kill a hate-crimes bill just one week after a bipartisan vote recommended its passage? Because they're "playing politics" with gay equality, said gay rights leaders. "It's been a long-standing pattern that Congress will bring up the hate-crimes bill, allow and ask for a vote on it so that members can say, 'See, I'm not really antigay,' and then kill it," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) is a nonprofit organization that supports grassroots organizing and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. Founded in 1973, NGLTF works to strengthen the gay and lesbian movement at the state and local levels while . Several days before the U.S. Senate was set to vote on the antigay Federal Marriage Amendment The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) (also known as the Marriage Protection Amendment) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would define marriage in the United States as a union of one man and one woman. in July, it passed the hate-crimes provision. On September 28, two days before the House ultimately failed to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment (formerly the FMA FMA Full Metal Alchemist (gaming) FMA Federal Marriage Amendment FMA Financial Market Authority (Austrian: Österreichische Finanzmarktaufsicht) FMA Financial Management Association ), it also recommended the bias-crimes bill. "This way, when people say, 'You're being a bigot bigot - A person who is religiously attached to a particular computer, language, operating system, editor, or other tool (see religious issues). Usually found with a specifier; thus, "Cray bigot", "ITS bigot", "APL bigot", "VMS bigot", "Berkeley bigot". [for voting for the amendment],' they can say, 'No, no, no. Look, I voted for the hate-crimes bill,'" Foreman argued. |
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