It has the effect of providing one class of victims more protection than another. It sends the fundamentally un-American message that murdering a black man, for example, is a worse crime than murdering a white man, or even a white child. The crime of murder is equally heinous no matter who the victim is, but hate crime legislation would punish one criminal more severely than another even if the facts were otherwise the same. But there are even greater concerns with hate-crime laws. In the United States and elsewhere, laws develop incrementally.
Laws build upon each other, each one setting precedent for subsequent statutes or cases.
For this reason, we must look at each proposed law not only for its immediate effect but also for its long-term implications. The problem with hate-crime legislation is that it will inevitably lead us where we do not want to go. The mere prospect of defending this kind of lawsuit is enough to intimidate a pastor, chilling his right to free speech. Certainly, those who advocate violence should be held accountable, but ministers should not have to live in fear of preaching non-violent opposition. All major world religions view homosexuality as sinful or morally wrong.