I submitted the following (that I borrowed from Liberty Counsel) to my senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin:
I am very disturbed that the Senate is moving to fast-track the "Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act" (S. 909) by attaching it as an amendment to another bill. I oppose fast-tracking this bill. This bill has serious ramifications for our society and deserves the full deliberative process in committee and on the Senate floor.
In addition, I oppose this bill and urge you to oppose it as well. Bills like this that grant special protections based on "sexual orientation and gender identity" pose a direct threat to the rights of people of faith and could ultimately lead to the criminalization of Christian teachings on marriage.
I urge you to oppose the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I will be monitoring this situation closely.
Liberty counsel also suggested alternative text as an example for use in contacting your senators:
As a concerned citizen, I am signing this petition opposing the efforts to pass legislation that creates special rights based on sexual orientation and as a result criminalizes beliefs that oppose the homosexual rights agenda. This includes so-called “non-discrimination,” “hate crimes” and “hate speech” legislation.
Such legislation and policies put the sincerely-held beliefs of people of faith at odds with our laws. Even the Bible can be classified as prohibited literature under such measures. I am standing with citizens across the Nation in opposing efforts by Congress or the President to implement these anti-faith measures. I also am joining others in my state in opposing similar state-level laws and policies.
I also signed a petition at:
I encourage you to do the same: contact your senators and sign the petition; then notify others to follow suite.
