DENTON, Texas -- A Denton County man, George Young, is on trial on suspicion of attacking a gay man in December of 2005 and may be charged with a hate crime, officials said.

Young is accused of assaulting Christopher McKee, which is a Class A assault misdemeanor with an added hate crime finding.

McKee said he was singled out because he was seen kissing another man while in his truck. McKee said the attackers assaulted him while yelling anti-gay slurs while he dialed 911 for police protection.

---

Watch Video

---

McKee will face his alledged attacker in court on Thursday and said he has had to live with the attack for the rest of his life.

"It was quick, but it was painful. Ten days later I went out to Fry Street and seen one of the individuals that will be in the courtroom today. He has yet to identify the other person and he denies all the charges," said McKee. "He says he was not there. But I know his face. You don't forget a face like that when something happens to you like that. It's memorized."

Equality advocates said more needs to be done to protect the rights of gays and lesbians in Texas and push for more awareness and education on hate crimes.

"We consistently hear that law enforcement officials and prosecutors are not informed about the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act," said Paul Scott, executive director of Equality Texas. "We continue to see hate crimes perpetrated against Texas citizens because of their real or perceived sexual orientation, and even though there are laws to prosecute these hate crimes, they are not enforced."

According to Equality Texas, since the passage of the Byrd Hate Crimes Act in 2001, 1,500 hate crimes have been reported but only eight have been successfully prosecuted.

"Mr. McKee's case underscores the need for enhanced law enforcement tools and resources. As a society, our message needs to be clear and strong that bigotry played out through targeted violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Denton County, in the state of Texas, and around the world will be prosecuted vigorously and effectively," said Pete Webb, president of the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance.

Young's trial started Thursday morning with attorneys picking jurors from the jury pool.

If Young is convicted of the charge and if the hate crime is added to it, then his sentence will be extended.