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Gay hate attacks made crime in US
29 Oct 2009President Barack Obama has signed a hate crimes bill into US law, making it a punishable offence to assault someone because of their sexual orientation.
The measures mark the first victory for gays rights since Mr Obama took power.
It gives prosecutors extra powers to add additional punishment.
Reader views (3)
Well done President Obama, many US citizens need leadership. Gays are the new blacks and you (majority of USA) are not standing for that.
- Andrew, London, 30/10/2009 09:44
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So that's any attack on anyone cos everyone's got a sexual orientation of one sort or another..
- Deborah, Battersea, UK, 29/10/2009 16:40
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A bit pointless - it's already a crime to assault anyone. Homosexuals have the same right to the protection of the law as anyone else, but having a law specific to them puts them in a class of their own, making them special in some way.
Why? Because lots of them have suffered assaults and abuse? Does that mean that heterosexuals suffering assaults and abuse are fewer in number; that they are less physically or emotionally injured or less dead?
This is a pointless exercise, both in the USA or anywhere else they enact such laws, when all that is required is that they enforce existing laws appropriately.
- Rogan, Irving, 29/10/2009 16:25
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