Cimarron Alliance Denounces Oklahoma Bill Allowing "Opt-Out" of Federal Hate Crimes Legislation

Online, March 12, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Oklahoma City-The Cimarron Alliance Foundation denounces Oklahoma Senate Bill 1965 that will allow the state to "opt-out" of compliance with the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, passed by Congress last year.

Scott J. Hamilton, executive director of the Oklahoma City-based social justice organization, said "We are appalled that the Oklahoma Senate would pass legislation that, in effect, green-lights violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered citizens of this state. Not only is this unconstitutional, it is unconscionable."

Cimarron Alliance fears that such legislation paves the way for selective enforcement of Federal legislation. "This is the very same logic that supported Jim Crow laws for so long. It is the very bigotry that kept women from voting and African-Americans at the back of the bus. Will our legislature next decide to opt-out of federal Civil Rights legislation?" Hamilton asked.

The Oklahoma Senate bill, if passed by the House and signed by the governor, will cost the state millions of dollars to defend in court, said Hamilton. "We believe with absolute certainty that this legislation will be found to be unconstitutional. In the meantime, our state will spend without limit to defend this in court. Oklahoma is in the midst of a budget crisis of historic proportions. I find it hard to believe that bigotry is so pervasive in our state that our policymakers would rather pass hate-filled legislation than addressing failing schools and reductions in services for seniors," Hamilton said.

"But there is far more than money at stake here. Legislation of this nature, and the fractured logic that supports it, threatens the life and liberty of every minority person in this state. While this bill does not repeal hate crime protections based on race, religion, disability, or nation of origin, the next one could. Every justice-minded person in Oklahoma must take a stand against this bigotry now. Failure to do so could produce consequences that are too horrifying to imagine," Hamilton concluded.

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The Cimarron Alliance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization whose vision is a Fair and Just Oklahoma. Its mission is to support educational efforts that validate personal identity, promote public enlightenment, and advance equality for LGBT Oklahomans.