The Most Common Myths about Hate Crimes Laws
Across the country, legislators are making attempts to pass state hate crime statutes that would include crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity. In a January op-ed for the Washington Post, Judy and Dennis Shepard stated that there “simply shouldn’t be political controversy about acknowledging that violence is happening against certain people,” and that hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people are the most common second only to racial bias. Yet, these state-level laws continue to face dangerous opposition based in fear and misinformation. Here are some of the most common myths used to argue against hate crime laws, and the truth you can use to debunk them.