Second Hate Crimes Bill Filed at Arkansas Legislature

Legislature, ,

On Wednesday Rep. Fred Love (D — Little Rock) pre-filed a second hate crimes bill at the Arkansas Legislature: H.B. 1020.

The bill is virtually identical to S.B. 3 by Sen. Jim Hendren (R — Gravette) and Rep. Fred Love enacting hate crimes legislation in Arkansas.

Family Council has opposed hate crimes legislation for more than 25 years.

These bills write special protections into state law for groups of people based on sexual-orientation, gender-identity, and other characteristics.

These laws simply do not work. Data from the FBI indicates that they don’t protect people, and violent hate crimes have continued to occur in states with laws like these on the books.

Hate crimes laws promote unequal justice, and they can carry serious, unintended consequences. Ultimately, these laws end up punishing people for their speech and their beliefs instead of simply punishing them for their actions.

That’s part of the reason groups like the Washington County Republican Committee have issued statements opposing hate crimes legislation in Arkansas.

Arkansans can sign a letter opposing hate crimes legislation. A copy of the letter and the names of those who sign it will be published and shared with state legislators and others.

Family Council will continue to oppose hate crimes measures like S.B. 3. and H.B. 1020. This legislation was a bad idea 25 years ago, and it’s still a bad idea today.

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Joe Biden Promises to Reinstate President Obama’s Guidance Letting Boys Use Girls’ Locker Rooms, Restrooms at School

LGBT, , ,

Joe Biden plans to reinstate the Obama Administration’s 2016 guidance directing public schools to let boys who claim to be girls use girls’ shower facilities, locker rooms, and restrooms at school, according to the Associated Press.

In May of 2016 the Obama Administration’s federal Department of Education and federal Department of Justice jointly issued a set of guidelines reinterpreting federal law for schools that receive public funds — like K-12 public schools and many colleges and universities.

The guidelines indicated that to continue receiving funds these schools must let biological males who claim to be female use the girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, showers, and similar facilities at school, and vice versa.

The guidelines also addressed male and female student housing at schools.

Needless to say all of this created a lot of controversy at the time.

Arkansas’ governor and attorney general issued statements telling public schools to disregard President Obama’s guidelines, and Arkansas, along with nine other states, sued the federal government over the issue.

President Trump rescinded the Obama Administration’s 2016 guidelines after he took office the following year.

In 2017 the late Sen. Linda Collins (R — Pocahontas) filed S.B. 774, the Arkansas Physical Privacy and Safety Act, to help protect the physical privacy of people in showers, restrooms, and locker rooms on government property — such as public school campuses. Family Council supported S.B. 774, but it ultimately did not pass.

Obviously, it is very troubling to hear Joe Biden promise to reinstate President Obama’s radical pro-LGBT policies. This is an issue Family Council plans to monitor closely and continue to address in the future.

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