by Nat Hentoff

About the author: Nat Hentoff is a columnist for the Village Voice and the Nation and is the author of Free Speech for Me—But Not for Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other.

Soon after the October 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, hundreds of mourners held a vigil in Washington. Chanting “Now! Now! Now!” they demanded that Congress pass the Schumer-Kennedy hate-crimes legislation.

Also supporting the bill is House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt, who says the law is surely needed. And on October 19, 1998, Attorney General Janet Reno met with representatives of more than a dozen gay and lesbian groups and assured them she would renew her call for passage of hate-crimes legislation.

Ihave appeared on radio and television to debate various representatives of the ACLU [American Civil...