Gov. Don Carcieri has vetoed a bill that would have expanded Rhode Island’s hate crimes laws to cover gender expression and identity, a move sought by the powerful anti-LGBT lobby the Family Research Council, which praised Carcieri’s decision.

“Given the challenges facing America, it’s troubling that any legislature would invest time and taxpayer monies to consider such a superfluous agenda-driven maneuver, much less pass it through both Houses,” FRC said in a statement, according to EDGE Boston.

Providence Mayor David Cicilline, who is seeking the Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, responded to Carcieri’s veto in a statement to Gay Politics:

“I am extremely disappointed that Governor Carcieri chose to oppose protecting individuals from hate crimes based upon gender identity.  His decision to veto this legislation is especially disturbing since our state was founded on the basic principle of freedom of expression.  I will continue to work to ensure that discrimination of any kind based upon gender identity or expression is prohibited in Rhode Island,” Cicilline said.

State House Speaker Gordon D. Fox has not decided whether legislators will return to the capitol to attempt to override Carcieri’s veto.

Oklahoma state senators yesterday voted overwhelmingly to block federal law enforcement officials from investigating hate crimes in the state. The move is a reaction to enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, passed by Congress last year, which added sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to existing federal hate crimes statutes.

“We just don’t want the pendulum to swing too far the other way,” said Sen. Steve Russell (R-Oklahoma City), according to the Oklahoman. ”This protects people to do or say whatever they want, as long as it complies with local ordinances.”

But Sen. John Sparks (D-Norman) said the measure, which must be approved now by the State House, could put local district attorneys in a bind.  ”They could be guilty of obstruction of justice if the federal government requests evidence and they don’t turn it over. This language has all sorts of ramifications,” Sparks told the Oklahoman.

Via Dallas Voice/Istant Tea

Oklahoma State Sen. Steve Russell plans to introduce a bill in the spring session that would exempt Oklahoma from adhering to the recently passed Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.  Russell argues that the bill oversteps the bounds of the federal government and infringes upon free speech, according to The Oklahoma Daily:

“The federal government should not be creating a special class of people, and that is just what they did when they passed and signed this bill,” Russell said. “All crimes against another person have some level of hate in them, and people can be assured that our laws that protect people against crimes such as murder are sufficient to protect everyone.”

Russell said because the government has decided to intervene on issues of morality, he is worried that religious leaders who speak out against any lifestyle could be imprisoned for their speech.

“The law is very vague to begin with,” Russell said. “Sexual orientation is a very vague word that could be extended to extremes like necrophilia.”

Russell also said that while he initially considered a way to pass his bill while retaining the $5 million endowed by the government to enforce it, he eventually decided that doing so would “compromise our values.”

Congress has approved the first-ever federal law aimed at protecting LGBT Americans.  The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which adds sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal hate crimes laws, passed today as part of a defense authorization bill.  The legislation now heads to the White House, where President Obama has pledged to sign it.

In the House, where the bill passed earlier, openly gay and lesbian members defended the measure on the floor.  There are no openly LGBT U.S. Senators, but the issue was long championed by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

“Our community has long sought this tool to help protect vulnerable Americans from hate-fueled violent attacks.  I’m proud that the openly gay and lesbian members of Congress were there to add their voices to the debate and to speak authentically about the experience of gay and transgender Americans.  I congratulate Judy and Dennis Shepard, who have lobbied so long and so hard for this law, and I thank our colleagues at the Human Rights Campaign and all who contributed to this tremendous victory,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin posted a YouTube podcast to commemorate the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act and urging quick, decisive action in order to get it to the President’s desk.