[Robert DeLong]

James Byrd Jr. was an African-American man who was murdered by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998. Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer, and John King dragged him for three miles behind a pickup truck along an asphalt road.

So no, if they are black then still a hate crime.

[Skywise]

Yes - but that’s less hate because gays are higher up on the social totem pole.

[BobL]

“James Byrd Jr. was an African-American man who was murdered by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998. Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer, and John King dragged him for three miles behind a pickup truck along an asphalt road.”

And note that two of those people were executed, while the third gets to live because he sang, but will never leave jail.

...and all that punishment happened WITHOUT a hate crimes bill being law.

So I wonder what problem were they trying to solve with the new laws?