NR writers and Andrew Sullivan have recently been engaged in a lively

discussion over the Vatican’s recent statement condemning gay marriage. But

in Ireland, according to the Irish Times,

the misnamed Irish Council for Civil Liberties is issuing warning letters to

the nation’s Bishops, claiming that discussion of the Vatican statement may

be a criminal violation of the Incitement to Hatred Act. The director of the

“civil liberties” organization warned that “The document itself may not

violate the Act, but if you were to use the document to say that gays are

evil, it is likely to give rise to hatred, which is against the Act.” In

Canada, “hate crime” cases have been brought against conservative religious

spokespersons who have quoted what the Bible actually says about

homosexuality. Criticism of gays has also been censored in Sweden. Gay

marriage is an important public policy issue which should be broadly and

vigorously debated, and every side in that debate should receive full

protection of their freedom of speech. As I’ve argued elsewhere,

“hate crime” laws amount to improper discrimination. Rather than expanding

the American “hate crime” laws to include gays, all such laws should be

repealed, and everyone should be guaranteed the equal protection of the law,

without regard to sexual orientation, race, or religion. Never have Pat

Robertson, Jerry Falwell, or the other leaders of the “religious right”

supported criminalizing the mere advocacy of gay marriage. Yet in many

Western nations, the freedom of speech for persons who do not support the

gay agenda is being eliminated. There have been far too many historical

tragedies in which persecuted groups, the moment they gained power, began

persecuting others: Christians in the Roman Empire; Puritans in

Massachusetts; and Islamists in Iran are only a few examples. It is

deplorable that so much of the gay leadership appears eager to pursue a

similar course. In the United States, the Independent Gay Forum

offers a sensible alternative for people who want to expand gay rights

without persecuting dissenters.