Pa. High Court Strikes Down Homosexual 'Hate Crimes' Law

TheMCP »

Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:00 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

The article fails to mention three important points:
1) The law was thrown out on a technicality relating to the manner in which it passed through the legislature, not because hate crimes laws are unconstitutional in pennsylvania. The legislature can go ahead and pass another one tomorrow.
2) The hate crime charge against Marcavage was thrown out previously on the basis that what he did was not a hate crime, thus proving exactly the opposite of what he's claiming about hate crimes: he was free to say the things he said, and was arrested because the police officer was wrong about what the law actually said. The law actually said explicitly that it could only be applied to violent crime.
3) Marcavage wasn't merely "preaching the gospel" when he was arrested, he had invaded a lawfully permitted private gay pride event and started shouting through a bullhorn, then refused to leave when lawfully ordered to do so by police. His actions that day were hardly innocent and christian, the hate crime charge aside.

Funny how these important details were left out of the article.