Hate Speech Should Not Be Banned

Hate speech is defined as “hostile statements based on someone’s personal characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation (By the People).” Today there are a wide variety of opinions concerning whether or not hate speech should be banned by the government, but because we are given the right to free speech in the First Amendment, banning hate speech could deprive us of our right to speak freely. Hate speech should not be banned by the government. In the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, we are give the freedom of speech. This freedom allows the right to choose not to speak, to use certain words or phrases to express a political message, and to participate in symbolic speech (United States Courts). The freedom