Thomasson: "H.R. 1592 isn't about stopping crime – it's a green light for government persecution of moral people in all 50 states."

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SACRAMENTO, May 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- As the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives prepares to vote on H.R. 1592, a leading California pro-family leader is warning that "hate crimes" laws that include transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality harm schoolchildren, religious freedom, business owners and homeowners.

"California first put transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality into the 'hate crimes' section of the state's Penal Code, then applied this strange definition of 'gender' to every other part of the law," said Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), a leading California-based pro-family organization. "Today, California has transsexual kindergarten teachers and laws threatening $150,000 in government fines against anyone who refuses to hire a man who wears women's clothing. It's all because of 'hate crimes' laws that include the phrases 'gender identity' and 'sexual orientation.' H.R. 1592 isn't about stopping crime -- it's a green light for government persecution of moral people in all 50 states."

In the 1990s, the California Legislature (with a majority of Democrats) passed several "hate crimes" laws that placed transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality into the state's Civil Code and Penal Code. Penal Code, Section 422 defines "sexual orientation" to include "bisexuality," and "gender" as "a person's gender identity and gender related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth."

In 1999, these "hate crimes" definitions were inserted into the Education Code, requiring all public schools in California to permit transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual teachers, in grades as young as kindergarten (AB 537).

In 2001 and 2003, these "hate crimes" definitions were placed into the Government Code, forcing business owners and landlords -- under threat of a state investigation and a $150,000 fine (without a trial) -- to abandon their moral convictions and hire transsexuals, bisexuals and homosexuals (AB 1001 and AB 196).

In 2005, these sexual lifestyles from the "hate crimes" statutes were expanded throughout the Labor Code, prohibiting every business that is open to the public from saying "no" to transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual customers or clients in restaurants, motels, and "businesses of every kind" (AB 1400).

That same year, the state's radical definition of "gender" was inserted into the Insurance Code, forcing insurance carriers -- thus ratepayers -- to pay for sex-transition (sex change) procedures (AB 1586).

In 2006, the Democrat-controlled California Legislature passed and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed five new laws promoting transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality in the housing industry, state and local elections, senior citizen programs, police departments, and courtrooms (AB 1160, AB 1207, AB 2051, AB 2800, AB 2920).

This year, the Democrat-controlled California Legislature is proposing to use the sexual definitions from the "hate crimes" laws to force all school curriculum, instructional materials, school sports teams, guest speakers, sex education classes, and all school-sponsored activities to positively portray (not "adversely reflect upon") all aspects of transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality (SB 777)

"Adding transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality to 'hate crimes' laws is like opening Pandora's Box," warned Thomasson. "People of moral and religious values will suffer under the persecution that will result from this radical sexual agenda. California's experience proves it."

CAMPAIGN FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (CCF) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families in California and America. CCF stands for marriage and family, parental rights, the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, financial freedom, and back-to-basics education.