Hate crime laws and sexual orientation

Provides definitions for hate crimes, a summary of national data on hate crime incidents in the US, & descriptions of federal & state hate crime laws. Arguments in support of & against hate crime laws, & the inclusion of sexual orientation in such laws, are presented. It is contended that it is illogical & a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to exclude sexual orientation from hate crime laws. The perpetrators of hate crime incidents, regardless of the target group, have similar motives & perpetrate similar types of assaults; the victims experience similar physical & psychological harm. Excluding a class of persons who are targets of hate crimes denies them equal protection under the law because the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment establishes a fundamental right to equal benefit of laws protecting personal security. 40 References. Adapted from the source document.