"Well, I think it's hitting the more important point, which is that fighting in bars is illegal and that if you attack someone, you have to accept responsibility for it. "
Of course.
"Protesting that your victim is prosecuting you for a hate crime rather than assault is just a way of making it all somebody else's fault. 'It's not my fault, it's that gay's fault.'"
I don't really agree with that. How is it making it somebody else's fault? To me, it's just saying "I didn't do because he was gay, but because I thought he was a jerk." Would you call protesting that your accused of, say, murder, when "all" you did was assault somebody (I know, a bad example) way of making all somebody else's fault?
"I would hope that if you don't hate gays, the trial would reveal that and you would be found innocent of hate crime and guilty of common assault, but given that hate crime against gays does exist, it seems reasonable that this be tested in a court."
Unless there was evidence suggesting that it was a hate crime, I don't think it would be reasonable.