Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants State to Legislate Exemption from the Recently-Passed Federal Hate Crimes Bill

Comparing homosexuality to necrophilia, Oklahoma State Sen. Steve Russell (R-Oklahoma City) plans to introduce a bill that would exempt the state from having to abide by the recently passed Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act on the basis of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The 10th amendment reads, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Says Russell, who is upset that the bill was attached to a Department of Defense bill: “The bill gives the federal government power that was not given to them in the Constitution. I am aware of the supremacy of the federal government over state governments, but the federal requirements are vague enough for us to make actions. We just have to be very careful on how we proceed.”

Russell says he considered finding a way of still taking the $5 million in federal funds that the Hate Crimes Act provides state agencies but decided against it because it would "be a compromise in the values of his bill."

The Oklahoma Daily reports: "Russell said because the government has decided to intervene on issues of morality, he is worried that religious leaders who speak out against any lifestyle could be imprisoned for their speech. 'The law is very vague to begin with,' Russell said. 'Sexual orientation is a very vague word that could be extended to extremes like necrophilia.' Russell said he is also concerned if someone is attacked and killed for his or her sexual orientation, the suspect could pass the blame onto a religious leader who preached out against the lifestyle of the victim who was attacked."

Said Russell: “The federal government should not be creating a special class of people, and that is just what they did when they passed and signed this bill. All crimes against another person have some level of hate in them, and people can be assured that our laws that protect people against crimes such as murder are sufficient to protect everyone.”

Tulsa Man Slashed, Stabbed, Beaten by Gang of Three for Being Gay

Tulsa resident Brandon Patrick was attacked by a group of three people while walking to a friend's house, after they provoked him with taunts and slurs.

Tulsa World reports:

 "Three people followed Patrick down the 1300 block of South Rockford Avenue about 11:45 p.m., yelling homophobic slurs and threats, he said. Patrick, who is gay, said he ignored the group until they closed in and then asked why they were accosting him without provocation. The assailants then started beating, biting and slashing at Patrick with a blade, he said, leaving him with several cuts on his head and body. The 23-year-old has been peppered with insults before, but he said he never thought they would escalate to violence. 'I've never felt scared or feared for my safety before,' he said. 'You brush it off and walk on. That's what you're taught to do. This time, it didn't work.' Tulsa Police Officer Leland Ashley said the people who are accused of attacking Patrick are at large and were seen in a maroon Ford Mustang from the late 1990s or early 2000s. Patrick described them as a woman in her early 40s and another woman and man, both in their late teens or early 20s."

The attackers were caucasian, KTUL reports, correcting their original erroneous report.

Queerty has some additional graphic photos of the beating and a report from Patrick's partner Sam Raines:

"They started out by calling him a faggot as he was walking down the street minding his own business and they told him not to look at them….but he didn't even look in their direction. As he went around the corner they got in their vehicle which was a mustang late 90's early 00 model and sped toward him and the male got out of the car. he then punched him in the back of his head and that's when he started to have to defend himself. He kept telling them just to leave him alone and go about their business… As he was restraining the male the older of the 2 females came at him and bit his cheek and began to saw at his head with a knife…then ended up stabbing him in the knee!"

Oklahoma's hate crime laws exclude sexual orientation.

Conservative Politico: Playboy Turns Straight Men Gay

Senator Tom Coburn's (R-OK) chief of staff Michael Schwartz told a group of listeners at the Values Voter Summit on Saturday that "all pornography is homosexual pornography" and that magazines like Playboy could lead heterosexual boys to homosexuality.

He related a story about Jim Johnson, a friend of his who turned an old hotel into a hospice for gay men dying of AIDS: "One of the things he said to me, that I think is an astonishingly insightful remark… he said ‘All pornography is homosexual pornography, because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards. Now, think about that. And if you tell an 11-year-old boy about that, do you think he’s going to want to get a copy of Playboy? I’m pretty sure he’ll lose interest. That’s the last thing he wants! You know, that’s a good comment, it’s a good point, and it’s a good thing to teach young people.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

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