Britain Considers Gay Hate Speech Act

Britain will consider making it illegal to incite violence against gays. Gay hate speech is already outlawed in Canada and France. American Christianists have been using examples of hate speech prosecutions in those countries to mobilize their side against all LGBT rights advancements in the U.S., claiming that soon Christians in the U.S. could be sent to jail for condemning homosexuality.

The British version of the bill, which will reach the House of Commons this session, would outlaw violent hate speech in all forms: spoken, print, and broadcast. Justice Secretary Jack Straw: "It is a measure of how far we have come as a society in the last 10 years that we are now appalled by hatred and invective directed at people on the basis of their sexuality. It is time for the law to recognize this." Those convicted will face up to seven years in prison.