On the hate crimes bill

Senate just passed a piece of legislation outlawing hate crimes against gays. President Obama has said he'd sign it into law when it reaches him. And I say, it's about freaking time. This is not about whether you think homosexuality is right or wrong; this is about us (as a society) recognizing human beings' right to be what they are, as long as they are in a consenting relationship, without being threatened, attacked, or intimidated.

Something that bothers me greatly is how certain members of the Religious Right have taken this law and turned it into something it does not, and will not mean. It doesn't mean that preachers can't preach that homosexuality is wrong. It doesn't mean that you can't peacefully protest [insert your cause here].* What it means is that you cannot attack lesbians because they are lesbians. You can't spray paint "God hates f---s" (I can't write that word out) on their house. As a Christian, do you really think those things are okay?

(* as a side note - so what if it does mean you can't preach that? Since when does the Church follow the laws of the State anyway?)
From a Christian News Wire article: "...a letter is being hand-delivered to every member of the United States Senate imploring conservatives to join Senator Jim DeMint's filibuster of the pending Hate Crimes bill, which would criminalize preaching the Gospel and put preachers in the crosshairs.The letter explains that, in its current form, the Hate Crimes legislation would: "Silence the moral voice of the Church"...

I bolded the parts that bother me most. First, I'm angry that people equate preaching against homosexuality with preaching the Gospel. Preach against that if you want, but that's not the Gospel. The Gospel is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. THAT is the gospel, and far be it for me to preach any other.

Second, the Church is just now getting angry about its moral voice being silenced? Sorry, the Church silenced its own moral voice about 1700 years ago when it became enmeshed with the empire (that is, when we began to operate like the Caesars and/or within the confines they placed). Where was the Church in this country during the Salem witch trials? Where was the Church when slaves were considered 1/3 of a person? Where was the Church when we slaughtered Native Americans and marched their survivors onto reservations? Where was the Church when Japanese Americans were interned for being Japanese? Where was the Church when the KKK was burning crosses and lynching people? Where is the Church now while we bomb Iraqis and Afghans off the map? Why have we been so afraid to act like the Church?

I'm all for the government leaving me alone and letting me live. But, I'm also sad that in the 21st century it has to be legislated that you can't beat people up because they are black, Jewish, gay, or whatever.