Does our society still view race issues the same as it did in 1860, even as it did in 1960 I'd say not at all.

You really need to look no further than President Obama as proof that Americans are not very racist.
And groups like the KKK have been marginalized, and have nowhere near the following they did after the civil war or even in the 1920's

To try and add gays to a protected class, why?
Where are the statistics that would prove that attacks on gays is even close to what African Americans faced after the Civil War or even into the 1960's

Being gay is a verb, it is an action, people may choose to be gay today, then tomorrow, may choose to not be gay. They may like both, They may like men and women. They may even chose to be gay when they benefit from it. If affirmative action programs or hate crimes are extended to gays. Don't you think people will turn on and off, the gayness, when they want to get ahead because of it. If people can get a better paying job, or give a more severe punishment to an attacker because they are gay, this puts them at an advantage over every one else.