Couple Calling For Hate Crime Legislation

A gay couple is saying they will not move back to their Tulsa home because they fear for their lives. Now, an equal rights organization is calling on Oklahomans to take action so gay people don't have to be afraid. They want crimes aimed at people because of their sexual orientation to be considered hate crimes in Oklahoma. But News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren found out their situation is an uphill battle.

"When you put this and this together, that's a hate crime. It has to be," said Robert Stotler.

Stotler is a retired marine, but now he's scared.

"Next? What's next? A cross burned in my yard? The house set on fire?" said Stotler.

Stotler is also gay and last month he and his partner were the targets of vandalism. Someone lit a truck on fire and spray-painted their home, "Gays Must Go", along with a make-shift swastika and a haunting warning, "I'll be back".

"It's made us so afraid that we don't know who to trust and who not to trust," said Stotler.

But when Stotler called the police he discovered this was not considered a hate crime. Oklahoma hate crime laws do not protect people who are targeted because of their sexual orientation.

"I guess in Oklahoma it's going to take me being killed, or my partner being killed in this yard, to get some protection," said Stotler.

"This is an issue that's been pressing for years," said Freddy Owens.

The executive director of Oklahomans for Equality says Oklahoma citizens need to stand up for gay people and demand their protection from hate crimes.

"Whether you are extreme right, extreme left, the fact of the matter is that this is a crime and this is a hate crime and it could happen to you," said Owens.

But state Senator Randy Brogdon says hate crime legislation has crossed his desk before and he doesn't believe in it. He says all crime is hateful, and differentiating one as a hate crime based on any personal preference is discriminatory itself.

"We are all created equal by God. And since we are all created equal we should all be held to an equal standard of justice," said Senator Brogdon.

But until Oklahoma law protects all groups from hate crimes, not just some, Robert Stotler says he is not being treated as an equal.

"We just basically, we just want equality," said Stotler.