Kennedy, Liberal Republicans Urge Protection for Homosexuals By Lawrence Morahan CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer May 05, 2003 (CNSNews.com) - With the support of liberal Republicans, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has reintroduced legislation that would expand federal hate crime laws to include crimes motivated by a victim's "sexual orientation." Co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Gordon Smith (Ore.), Kennedy's bill would add the new classification to existing laws that target violence because of race and religion, in effect granting special protection to homosexuals as a class of people. The bill, titled the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of...