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.

Having no strong political or religious biases on this issue, I think it is in the best interest of society and the individual that those people with a same sex preference form monogamous lifetime relationships just like people with an opposite sex preference.

In terms of the hate crimes bill, I agree with Eric T and Leon Drolet that listing particular classes of people appears to violate the equal protection clause.  But then, so do same sex marriage bans.  It works both ways.

Born Gay, is a rather flimsy case.

Back in the days, I worked with and went out with quite a few women, That were into other women as well as men. In time, it seemed that most of them eventually found Mr. Moneybags, left the girlfriend and went on to have a family, kids, and the house in the suburbs. ect...
Maybe it was just a phase or fad for them.

The question is, can they haul out older experiences to qualify for the "hate crimes bill".

Or could someone just say "I was born gay", to qualify for some preferential treatment, if you feel you need it, but just don't qualify for it based on race ect...