Attacks against black people is the top hate crime, followed by crimes against Jews and then gay men. The report was compiled by the non-profit research firm USA Facts and used law enforcement data from 1996 to 2017. The federal definition of a hate crime became law with the Civil Rights Act of 1968. At the time, hate crimes were defined as crimes committed on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. But, after the deadly attacks against Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., the Hate Crimes Prevention Act expanded the law to apply to crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived disability, all sexual orientations, gender, and gender identity.