The source for the premise of article, the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not an objective observer. They are a liberal activist group that labels all kinds of constitutionally protected speech as "hate crimes". The SPLC is a serial exaggerator. I don't believe a word they say.
Has anyone forgotten that cinyc is a bigot?
The SPLC are a great organization that helps do tons of great research and defense to help minorities of all kinds. To say things like this is to undermine all of the great work they do. Of course, I don't expect you to understand this, since I bet you think defending people targeted by racists is a bad thing. They've done so much good for the African-American, Latino, Jewish, and LGBT communities. The world would be a darker place without this organization