Rep. Steve King (IA) opposes the recent "Hate Crimes" legislation, which will be considered in the House on Wednesday. King believes it is nothing less than a "thought crimes" bill that "will damage religious freedom in America."

King released the following statement:

“Liberals in Congress want to create new laws to protect classes of people that have never been defined or identified as a class before. This unconstitutional bill aims to protect new classes of people based on ‘gender identity’ and ‘sexual orientation.’ These are classifications of people that are based on their inner feelings – their thoughts. Punishing ‘thought crimes’ will infringe on freedom of speech and religious expression, rights endowed to all Americans in the Constitution.
 
“Under this legislation, justice will no longer be equal. Instead, justice will depend on the race, sex, sexual orientation or protected status of the victim, setting up different penalties for the same crime. I support continuing the American tradition of equal justice under the law, and I oppose this unconstitutional ‘thought crimes’ bill.”