"The whole purpose of the law is to stifle speech against people who speak against the deviant [gay] lifestyle." —Bill Keller
The first and second installments of The Devi's Advocate with Bill Keller drew lots of traffic and comments. Welcome to our third Q&A. I'll be playing the role of Devil's Advocate.
One of our most controversial religious figures, Pinellas-based Bill Keller is known for his incendiary rhetoric and unbending view of Bible-based morality. He believes homosexuality is an abomination, abortion is murder and … you can pretty much guess the rest. Click here for a bit more detail on Keller's ministry.
Today's Topic: The U.S. Congress is in the process of expanding Hate Crimes laws to include "sexual orientation," "gender" and "gender identity" to federally protected classes that already include race, religion, color or national origin. Bill Keller doesn't like this at all.
The Devil's Advocate: By opposing the addition of gender identity to the existing hate crimes bill, does that mean you’re OK with crimes against gays?
Bill Keller: Absolutely not. I’m not in favor of any hate crimes legislation. If there’s an existing crime statute on the books, you’re going to be punished. If you commit a crime against one of the protected groups, what are you going to get? Three life sentences? It’s redundant.
So why are you concerned about adding gender identity to the law?
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2009.