 Statistics show that minority groups are the main victims of hate crimes.Crimes against gay men and lesbians are said, by researches in Los Angeles County, to be the most severe form of hate crimes.In summary, the bill's intention was to make illegal the willful harm or attempt to harm a person based on their actual or perceived gender or sexual orientation

State legislators began to introduce hate crime laws starting in the 1970s to address racism, prejudice, and discrimination that escalated into more violent crimes.