Alabama legislator pushes adding sexual orientation to hate crime bill

[Thom Little]

In response to the unrelated beatings of two gay men, a state legislator has proposed amending Alabama's hate crime statute to include sexual orientation.

Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, submitted his proposal last week, more than a month before the 2006 legislative session begins. The move means the bill could come before a committee as soon as the first day after the session's opening day, according to House Clerk Greg Pappas.

Holmes described the recent attacks as "modern-day lynchings." One of the men, 80-year-old James Oliver Bailey of Elmore County, died. The other, Billy Sanford, 52, of Montgomery remains in a coma.

"They've got certain people in this country and in the state of Alabama who hate people because they are gay," Holmes said. "They could be church-going people or the greatest humanitarians in the world but, because they are gay, people hate them."


http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051207/NEWS/512070340/1001

[bear425]

1. Good thing there are still people of conscience.

Fat chance of this passing in Alabama, though. Well, we can live in hope...

edit: spelling in the dark.

[homaffectional]

2. It's already passed the House...

back in 2001, and I'd like to think that even in Alabama, legislators have only gotten more educated since then. It's quite likely to pass the State Senate if it could ever make it to the floor of the upper chamber's body for an actual up or down vote...

What you probably didn't know is that Democrats control both houses of the state legislature by unbelievable majorities for such a deep south state.

Even 'moderate' Republican governors don't block the addition of hate crimes laws that include orientation. Anyone know if Alabama allows governors to allow bills to become law without their signature? I don't see him actually signing it, but with that provision perhaps he won't veto...

[msongs]

3. are they really democrats?

[No Exit]

5. True, but the Christian Coalition is a powerful presence

in the Alabama state legislature.

And we all know that means there are some very un-Christian things going on. Such as, just for example, beaucoup hypocrisy about the great "sin" of gambling.

http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/003073.html

[bear425]

6. Thanks for the info and you're right.

I didn't know that about Alabama. Perhaps, there is hope after all.

[Sgent]

4. If we are to have hate crimes at all

I'm glad to see sexual orientation added to it. I have a problem with punishing people on what we think they thought, but that's another story.