Over the course of this year, I’ve written here about hate crimes affecting gays and other groups and I’ve taken criticism for it. Some have said I’m beating a dead horse.

Someone wrote that gays don’t have much to worry about. Not like in the olden days. But, unfortunately, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis is handling a hate-related murder of a gay man, the attacks in Balboa Park and other isolated events that don’t get media attention.

It’s true that San Diego has openly gay and lesbian elected officials and also many Jewish officials. Someone would have to be dumb to commit a hate crime in this town. Law enforcement is filled with gays and Jews: Sheriff Kolender is Jewish, the D.A. is Jewish and a lesbian, and there are several gay and lesbian judges.

About the only break gay bashers get is that they might find some brothers in prison who share their hatred of gays. And they will probably be sharing those views while they are engaging in gay sex. It’s the most bizarre irony.

So San Diego, like elsewhere, has its share of the dumb and dumber.

Studies on hate crimes show that these attackers take their cue from the media. Hate crimes against gays, Jews and immigrants are up right now because of publicity over same-sex marriage, Israel’s battles with terrorist groups in the Middle East and the immigration debate in Congress.

The attackers get the impression that it’s OK to pick on vulnerable folks. They get energized from people like Mel Gibson who, despite his apologies, has always been associated being anti-Semitic and anti-gay. As Kathy Griffin would say: “Big surprise! I just hope Clay Aiken isn’t gay.”

Locally, the nut cases – perhaps like Pride gay-bashing suspect James Carroll, who is a drug addict and a two-time convicted burglar – take their cues from a “former” drug addict and three-time convicted burglar. (Can we all see why three strikes makes sense?)

This “former” addict and three-time convicted burglar, James Hartline, calls himself an “ex-gay,” and uses outrageous antics to engage our community so he can get media attention. The media coverage sends a message that he and his ilk have something valid to say. They don’t. If they protested at City Council against a proclamation honoring victims of the Holocaust, it’s doubtful that any local TV affiliate would show it. Station managers would be jobless because he or she would be fired from one of the three TV networks presidents – who are Jewish.

Without coverage, the man who says he receives full disability from taxpayers but has a full-time job harassing gays has to find other means to get attention.

Jews worry about Hamas and Hezbollah; for local gays and lesbians it’s people like Hartline, Jim Holman (Reader publisher) and Roger Hedgecock. They incite domestic terrorism against us by using their mass media to publicize their hateful views.

Even with the national media, we tolerate continued clichéd and stereotyped images of gay men and lesbians. No need to mention them here. Brokeback Mountain broke some ground. But studios will deliver again the “pansies” and the “diesel dykes,” and GLAAD will honor Adam Sandler and Kevin James for being such perfect “queens.”

Yet when the Gay Games features some of the world’s most talented, attractive and successful athletes, not a word of it is mentioned in the mainstream press. It’s the world’s second largest gathering of amateur athletes. Locally, Michael Barrow won three medals (two gold) and Dean Cortez won the triathlon.

Why not feature these athletes and their accomplishments? Is Michael Portantino the only gay publisher in San Diego? Would readers object to seeing handsome, athletic, masculine, successful professionals on the cover of the sports page? Are folks still worried that young men are going to change their sexual orientation?

We can hold rallies and forums – and we have. But nothing makes as big of a difference as continuing to push for laws and court rulings that recognize the equality of gays and lesbians.

More specifically, we have to deal with the problem at its core – and that means getting schools to include GLBT issues in the curriculum and report hate crimes. That’s why we need to support bills sponsored by Equality of California and the Legislative LGBT Caucus.

If it sounds like I’m beating the dead horse again, I am. But let us all hope that we’re not the next dead horse.