According to the FBI, of 7,624 hate crimes recorded in 2007, almost one in five were based on sexual orientation.

Since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, American law has made a point out of protecting those who are discriminated against or oppressed because of attributes outside their control: race, religion, gender and national origin.

Last week, President Obama signed into law a bill that extends that protection to homosexuals and transgenders.

Some say those attributes are not outside people’s control, but our laws’ protection extends to religion as well, which could be argued against the same way.

When we become aware of discriminatory or oppressive practices and we don’t do anything about it, we are implicitly saying it’s acceptable — something we can’t stoop to in a nation where we believe everyone is created equal.

Many religious and other people have problems with homosexuality, and we don’t deny them the right to have and hold those opinions — it is a protected opinion under American law. What we do rejoice that the law denies is the ability to act prejudicially upon those opinions.

It’s one thing to legitimately and honestly oppose something you believe your religion would have you stand against, but another thing altogether to impose that opinion on others through discrimination or oppression.

Last week’s law specifically protects the right of religions and their adherents to oppose homosexuality, but it denies them the right to press that opposition into action that could harm homosexuals.

In other words, it’s still protected speech for churches to teach and preach that homosexuality is a sin.

Those fervently held beliefs of so many churchgoers are not in danger from the new law.

But we’re glad that as a nation we now acknowledge that, while it’s OK for some to believe others’ lifestyles are wrong, our law also stands up for the rights of those whose lifestyles are the subject of those beliefs.