I agree.. I think that although it may not deter many away from the act, it is a step in the right direction. For so long, the government has more or less purposefully ignored the profound and horrific message that accompanies hate crimes such as gay bashing and racial crimes. It has become more than clear that many (if not the majority) of those in power hope to quietly sustain the stereotypes traditionally assigned to gays and blacks etc.. Such stereotypes and hate have been, and will continue to be for a while, characteristic of American society. Yet, in actually setting forth a hate crimes bill which is extended to encompass gender crimes, gay bashing and so on, it is a slight step in the direction of intolerance to hate. Maybe it will work & maybe not, but at least it is a recognition of the problem.