"Hate under cloak of religion"

Religious groups are often very much against the idea of homosexuality and preach that it's sinful and immoral. But unless they take the same path as the Westboro Baptist Church and hold up disgustingly offensive "God hates fags" signs, no one really considers religious organizations a hate group.

This article addresses the Family Research Council, a large Washington-based group strongly associated with the religious right. The Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization centered around civil rights, has called out the Family Research Council on their hateful preaching reminiscent of those who opposed racial equality for African Americans.

One of the Family Research Council's pamphlets explain the "evils" of homosexuality, with one called "Dark Obsession: The Tragedy and Threat of the Homosexual Lifestyle." Similar to the ridiculous claims from decades ago that African American teenagers would assault and harass white females because they are "unable to control sexual impulses," spokesmen for the Family Research Council have ludicrously stated that children are more vulnerable to molestation in same-sex parent households.

I'm all for the freedom of speech, and if people are going to continue to be nonsensically close-minded and hateful toward specific groups, they have the right to. But these people are pushing for legal action to marginalize the LGBT community based on their own hateful beliefs, and that is unconstitutional. Like the author of the article writes, "... we now recognize [rhetoric used by anti-black equality] as hate speech. It's past time to do the same with rhetoric that denigrates gays and lesbians."