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'''Hate speech''' is speech or writing which is critical of a legally protected class or group of citizens defined by legislation. Under some legal codes, hate speech can be considered a [[hate crime]]. Hate speech codes typically justify this immunity from criticism by labeling it "provocative speech used to denigrate" members of the group.  These protected groups can include gender, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, disability, and sometimes age.

Under a new Swedish law, any person who demonstrates disrespect (Swedish: “missaktning”"missaktning") for people’s sexual orientation may be sentenced to up to four years in prison. Needless to say, although the Bible is clear about God’s love for fallen mankind and that “God "God so loved the world….” " there are many passages in the Bible that warn about sodomy and its dangers to both individuals and society at large. Those passages – although expressing disrespect for the depraved act of sodomy - – may erroneously be interpreted by some people to express disrespect for the people who engage in such activity. Or as the Kalmar Court verdict against Pastor Green reads: “It "It is the opinion of this Court that Åke Green, through his statements, has deeply offended the homosexuals as a group and the purpose of his sermon was clearly aimed at showing disrespect for the homosexuals as a group.” " [http://www.akegreen.org/]

The [[gay rights]] movement currently attempts to equate racism or [[anti-Semitism]] with the condemnation of homosexual lifestylelifestyles. They claim that, like race, sexual orientation is 100% inherited and immutable but there are studies that question this claim.{{fact}}

In a U.S. government report released in 2016, Martin R. Castro, the chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, stated that "The phrases “religious liberty” and “religious freedom” will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance."<ref>Showalter, Brandon (Setpember September 9, 2016). [http://www.christianpost.com/news/religious-freedom-code-word-bigotry-christian-supremacy-us-civil-rights-commissioner-martin-castro-169370/ Religious Freedom Is 'Code Word' for Bigotry, Christian Supremacy, US Civil Rights Commissioner Says]. ''The Christian Post''. Retrieved January 9, 2017.</ref><ref>Kellner, Mark A. (September 8, 2016). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/8/religious-freedom-religious-liberty-just-code-word/ ‘Religious freedom,’ ‘liberty’ just ‘code words’ for intolerance, U.S. Civil Rights chairman says]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved January 9, 2017.</ref><ref>[http://religionnews.com/2016/09/08/chairman-of-u-s-commission-on-civil-rights-calls-the-phrases-religious-liberty-and-religious-freedom-code-words-for-discrimination-intolerance-racism-s/ Chairman of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights calls the phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom’ code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and Christian supremacy]. ''Religion News Service''. September 8, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017.</ref><ref>Carter, Joe (September 13, 2016). [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/u.s.-civil-rights-commission-religious-freedom-is-code-word-for-racism-homophobia-and-christian-supremacy U.S. Civil Rights Commission: ‘Religious Freedom’ Is Code Word for Racism, Homophobia, and ‘Christian Supremacy’]. ''The Gospel Coalition''. Retrieved January 9, 2017.</ref>

At least nine Western countries have made it a crime<ref>Revisionists in France and Germany have been heavily fined for their views" (Weber). Other countries that have different laws against Holocaust denial include Belgium, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Canada, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. [http://www.history.ucsb.edu/projects/holocaust/Research/VariousPapers/MonizDeniers034.htm Holocaust Denial]</ref>to deny the historical reality of the Nazi [[Holocaust]] (the genocide of 6 million Jews and 5 million others). The idea is that it is "hateful" to the survivors and to the relatives of the victims to pretend that this painful episode never occurred. Some people argue that being Jewish is a matter of race and thus unchangeable, and that being homosexual is likewise immutable. On these grounds, they go on to assert that criticizing a person for being homosexual is just as "hateful" as denying the Holocaust. A serious movement has begun to brand criticism of homosexuality as hate speech and thus to outlaw it. It is succeeding in liberal countries of Europe and has spread to the United States. However, others feel that Holocaust denial is a different situation than criticism of homosexuals. Even those against homosexuals freely admit that some were killed in the Holocaust as a result of their sexual orientation. Denying this would be completely different than merely denying that their sexuality was "natural".

In 2014, the Swedish Parliament extended its hate crime legislstion legislation to reporting facts about immigrant crimes, police noting descriptions of offenders, criticism of government immigration policy, and criticism of politicians who voted for immigration legislstionlegislation.<ref>[http://investmentwatchblog.com/sweden-passes-law-to-criminalize-any-criticism-of-immigration/ Sweden Passes A New Law to Criminalize Any Criticism of Immigration Or Politician’s Unwillingness To Tackle The Issue], ''Ivestment Investment Watch'', DECEMBER December 8, 2014. investmentwatchblog.com</ref> 

==NotesReferences==<references/>{{reflist}}