‘Hate speech’ toward LGBTQ persons may draw prison time
Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
January-February 2021 – In Norway, “hate speech” is now punishable by a fine or one to three years in prison. On November 10, the country’s parliament expanded its penal code to include punishments for speech considered hateful toward transgender and bisexual people.
Words considered hateful, even if spoken in private, could result in a one-year prison term while such words spoken in public could result in a three-year sentence.
Likewise, here in the U.S., a California law passed in 2017 made it illegal for long-term care facilities to refer to patients by their true pronouns instead of their desired pronouns, thus “misgendering” them. For example, a nurse could be fined or jailed for using the word she to refer to a woman living as a man. The law reportedly states that violators could face a fine of $1,000 or one year in jail.
