Actually, it's not. Whether he was murdered for homosexuality, is a matter for law enforcement and the judicial system.
It's the thought-crime aspect of "hate crime," and that it matters which "group" hate is condoned/not condoned by the judicial system that causes this republican to take a negative view of the whole incident.
There is almost no violence against "gays" in this country. On the other hand, "gays" do tremendous psychological violence against the innocents that they seduce.