The problem of hate crimes - and police indifference to them - won't be solved by passing more laws.

http://www.pinkpistols.org/

The proposed Matthew Shepard Act is unnecessary at best, unconstitutional at worst.
This is being derided by conservative pundits like George Will as further evidence of the Democrats proclivity for style over substance- I disagree. This is far more serious.
As to actual violent crimes, consider this: In my state, if I go out and beat a guy to death because I wanted his wallet, I will likely get life in prison and will be subject to the death penalty. If I go out and beat a guy to death because he is gay, I will likely get life in prison and will be subject to the death penalty. The difference? Zero. Yet, the zealots on the left want that changed- if John Doe is dead because I wanted some cash, that's bad; but if John Doe is (supposedly) dead because he was gay...why that's a holocaust-like abomination.
What if the guy I killed for cash just happened to be gay and I didn't know it? Under this ridiculous legislation, my crime just became "worse".

Several reviewers here routinely bring up the question of equal protection. If we have so-called "protected classes" (which we do) what happened to the equal part of equal protection?
Further, these proposals include laws against "hate speech". If any of you have preachers, priests, or rabbis who dare to call homosexuality a sin, you might well advise them to knock it off. So much for freedom of speech, so much for freedom of religion.