With the passage of the revamped ‘Hate Crime Bill’ ( House Bill 4474 ) by the Michigan House, the foundation of our freedom of speech stands perilously close to the edge of a dangerous precipice. This new bill is nothing short of an egregious assault on conservative speech.
The original “Ethnic Intimidation Act”—which was already bad—has been grotesquely transfigured into a weapon against diversity of thought. A closer examination of the revisions to the legislation paints a deeply unsettling picture. The bill broadens the range of “perceived characteristics” to include “gender identity or expression,” alongside other elements like “digital or online property.” Such broadening brazenly slings open the door for criminalizing disagreements or perceived offenses concerning these characteristics on any platform, including social media.
Under the smokescreen of safeguarding individual rights, the bill defines “gender identity or expression” as “having or being perceived as having […]
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