to clarify, I suppose the hate-crime terminology relates to many things that I would not put all in the same basket. I can narrow it down a long way though. Does the 'hate' aspect make some difference in the act itself? So in the case of graffiti, 'Call Doris for a good time' vs a Swastica is a different result and even possibly a different set of social consequences. What I don't agree with is trying to call a 1st degree murder worse based on why the murderer committed it. The person that is dead is just as dead. It makes no difference to me why (again we are already stipulating 1st deg, not args over self defense for example) and in a sense devalues every other murder by singling certain ones out for special prosecution treatment. I don't agree with that, and as I said before, since it doesn't add to deterrence or public safety, I don't see any practical benefit to argue for either.
NB. I'm not trying to change your mind, just telling you what I think.