Richard Kim

Richard Kim is the assistant director of the Nation Institute, an organization dedicated to preserving free speech and an independent press. In the following viewpoint he contends that the Hate Crime Prevention Act (HCPA), which would include sexual orientation in hate crime legislation and provide federal resources to local law enforcement in the event of a hate crime, would not reduce the incidence of violence against homosexuals. He argues that laws cannot protect homosexuals from hate crimes, as a significant number of acts of antigay violence are perpetrated by law-enforcement officials themselves. He maintains that community efforts, such as educational workshops in public schools and police academies, would be more effective at combating antigay hate crimes than enacting hate crime legislation. A version of the HCPA was approved by the Senate...