Religion Immutable, Homosexuality Not: Boehner

Last week, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) objected to House passage of a bill that would expand hate crime laws to cover sexual orientation. His reason, apparently, is that homosexuality is a choice. At the same time, Boehner feels that religion is immutable. In other words, your religion is set from birth.

In an email, Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith told CBS News that Boehner "supports existing federal protections (based on race, religion, gender, etc) based on immutable characteristics."

CBS was quick to state that gender is not currently listed as covered among hate crimes. The GOP claims this legislation amounts to prosecuting "thought crimes."

Northeastern University professor Jack Levin said the following about Boehner's stance:

"[...] to use immutability as a criterion doesn't make any sense at all. Especially if he supports the current stand. Religion is clearly not ascribed. It's not built into the organism. People can change it at any time and people do.

"It sounds to me as though the criticism is focused on the addition of gays and lesbians to the list of protected categories at the federal level. That seems to be the problem."

While much research indicates that homsexuality is not a choice, but a biological condition, conservatives tend to ascribe to the belief that it is a choice. Nevertheless, it's hard to understand Boehner's contention that religion is immutable.

Former Miss California Carrie Prejean Files Suit for Religious Discrimination

According to the Miss California pageant, and its parent the Miss USA pageant, Carrie Prejean was "fired" because she was missing events that she was supposed to attend. Prejean disagrees, and her newly-filed lawsuit says it was all about religious discrimination.

Carrie Prejean filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The filing accuses Miss California USA officials Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler, as well as publicist Roger Neal of religious discrimination, defamation, public disclosure of private facts, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Carrie Prejean's attorney, Charles LiMandri, said in a news release, "We will make the case that her title was taken from her solely because of her support of traditional marriage."

Carrie Prejean made a big splash when, in the Miss USA pageant, she responded to a question by Perez Hilton about same-sex marriage by saying:

"Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there, but that's how I was raised, and that's how I think it should be between a man and a woman."

Interestingly, Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe Organization, and thus Miss USA and Miss California, is not named in the suit.

In her suit, Carrie Prejean says the Miss California people "fabricated a fraudulent list of some 50 public appearances allegedly missed by Prejean which they released to the media in order to justify her termination as Miss California USA." Additionally, Prejean claims officials also tried to "set up Prejean to have her dismissed as Miss California USA by asking her to do a Playboy photo shoot for $120,000."